The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index: Update 2003 Robert A Cummins (Deakin University) Richard...
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The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index: Update 2003 Robert A Cummins (Deakin University) Richard Eckersley (Australian National University) Sing Kai Lo (University of Sydney) Melanie Davern (Deakin University) Bruce Hunter (Deakin University) Erik Okerstrom (Australian Unity) NB. Please view via ‘Notes page’. You can then progress through the document using your mouse wheel, Page Down key, or the double-headed arrow to the right of this frame. tralian Conference on Quality of Life Proceedings, Melanie Davern (E University, Melbourne, December 2003
The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index: Update 2003 Robert A Cummins (Deakin University) Richard Eckersley (Australian National University) Sing Kai Lo (University
The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index: Update 2003 Robert A
Cummins (Deakin University) Richard Eckersley (Australian National
University) Sing Kai Lo (University of Sydney) Melanie Davern
(Deakin University) Bruce Hunter (Deakin University) Erik Okerstrom
(Australian Unity) NB. Please view via Notes page. You can then
progress through the document using your mouse wheel, Page Down
key, or the double-headed arrow to the right of this frame. 5 th
Australian Conference on Quality of Life Proceedings, Melanie
Davern (Ed.), Deakin University, Melbourne, December 2003
Slide 2
The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index Personal Wellbeing Index
National Wellbeing Index
Slide 3
The Australian Surveys Geographically representative sample N =
2,000 Telephone interview #1:April 2001 #2:September 2001
(immediately following September 11) ------------ #8:August
2003
Slide 4
How satisfied are you with your ----? 012345688910 Completely
Dissatisfied Completely Satisfied Mixed [Jones and Thurstone,1955]
11-point, end-defined scale
Slide 5
012345678910 0 2030405060708090100 %SM Likert All data are
converted to a standardized range from 0 - 100
Slide 6
How satisfied are you with your life as a whole? ( S E V E N L
I F E D O M A I N S ) Standard of living Health Productivity
Relationships Safety Community connectedness Future security
Measuring Personal Wellbeing
Slide 7
Personal Wellbeing Index How satisfied are you with your
----------? Standard of living Safety Health Productivity
Relationships Community connectedness Future security RonnyRonny
Subjective wellbeing = average domain satisfaction
Slide 8
Population Mean 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Frequency
distribution for subjective wellbeing Completely dissatisfied
Completely satisfied
Slide 9
Personal Wellbeing Index -SeptemberBaliPre-IraqPost-Iraq
11BombingWarWar S1S2S3S4S5S6S7S8
AprilSeptemberMarchAugustNovemberMarchJuneAugust
20012001200220022002200320032003 Major Events Preceding Survey
Survey Date Scores above this line are significantly greater than
S2, S4, S5 Scores above this line are significantly greater than
S1
Slide 10
Satisfaction with Relationships >S2, 3, 4, 5 >S1
Slide 11
Satisfaction with Feeling Part of Your Community >S1
Slide 12
Satisfaction with How Safe you Feel >S3, 4, 6 >S2, 5
>S1
Slide 13
Satisfaction with Future Security >S4 >S1 >S2
Slide 14
Personal Wellbeing Index National Wellbeing Index Standard of
living Economic situation Health State of environment Achievements
in life Social conditions Personal relationships How Australia is
governed How safe you feel Business Community connectedness
National security Future security Question: How satisfied are you
with .? Australian Unity Wellbeing Index
Slide 15
National Wellbeing Index >S2
Slide 16
Satisfaction with National Security >S4 >S5 >S6
>S2
Slide 17
Satisfaction with Government >S5, S6, S7, S8 >S4
Slide 18
Personal Wellbeing Index -SeptemberBaliPre-IraqPost-Iraq
11BombingWarWar S1S2S3S4S5S6S7S8
AprilSeptemberMarchAugustNovemberMarchJuneAugust
20012001200220022002200320032003 Major Events Preceding Survey
Survey Date Scores above this line are significantly greater than
S2, S4, S5 Scores above this line are significantly greater than
S1
Slide 19
Like the internal management of body temperature and blood
pressure Our sense of satisfaction with our lives is also
internally managed and held constant Subjective Wellbeing
Homeostasis
Slide 20
Personal Wellbeing Index -SeptemberBaliPre-IraqPost-Iraq
11BombingWarWar S1S2S3S4S5S6S7S8
AprilSeptemberMarchAugustNovemberMarchJuneAugust
20012001200220022002200320032003 Major Events Preceding Survey
Survey Date Scores above this line are significantly greater than
S2, S4, S5 Scores above this line are significantly higher than
S1
Slide 21
Normative Range for Each Gender Group Derived from the Survey
Mean Scores (N=8)
Slide 22
PWI x Gender
Slide 23
Normative Range for each age group derived from the survey mean
scores (N=8)
Slide 24
Why does SWB rise with age? Cohort effect (survival of the
happiest) Externally driven (life improves after 55y) Internally
driven (a) Change in strength of response (b) Genetically
determined rise in set-point (c) Homeostasis becomes weaker
Slide 25
Survey 1 (pre-September 11) 70 71 72 73 74 75 76
18-2526-3536-4546-5556-6566-7576+ Age Strength Of Satisfaction
(PWI)
Slide 26
Strength of happiness and Sadness in Relation to Personal
Events Age trend = NS
Slide 27
Normative Range for each age group derived from the survey mean
scores (N=8)
Slide 28
Homeostasis could fail because--- The homeostatic system has
become weaker The challenges to homeostasis have become
stronger
Slide 29
Decreased buffering capacity Decreased sense of control
Increased tendency towards acquiescent responding If homeostasis
becomes weaker-
Slide 30
Maybe increased acquiescence causes increased wellbeing Does
Sept 11 make you sad? [YES] How sad does Sept 11 make you
feel?[Lots] How satisfied do you feel with your life? [Lots]
Slide 31
What about the S11/Bali terrorist attacks? Does this make you
feel sadder than normal now If Yes On a scale from 0 10, how strong
would you rate this sadness?
Slide 32
% recalling attacks with Sadness x Age (combined surveys)
Slide 33
Strength of recalled Sadness (combined surveys) (Income and
gender used as co-variates)
Slide 34
Normative Range for each age group derived from the survey mean
scores (N=8)
Slide 35
% Recall with Sadness vs PWI (combined surveys) % Recalling
With sadness 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75
18-2526-3536-4546-5556-6566-7576+ Age % recall with sadness PWI R
=.96 -79 -78 -77 -76 -75 -74 -73 PWI
Slide 36
Personal Wellbeing Index Strength Of Satisfaction (PWI)
Slide 37
Conclusion 1. The pattern of change in SWB across surveys is
age-dependent (a)Young people (18-55 years) show no systematic
influence of major international events on their personal wellbeing
(b)Older people (56y+) show an increased SWB that may reflect
enhanced social acquiescence.
Slide 38
Conclusion 2. The age-related increase in subjective wellbeing
maybe an artifact of acquiescent responding induced by major public
events.