Reflections on the Introduction of Official Measures of Subjective Well-Being in the United Kingdom

From 2011 onward, surveys by the UK’s national statistics office have included four subjective well-being questions. This is specifically so that summary statistics about subjective well-being inform a broader assessment of national well-being along with other, largely objective measures, as well as anticipating policy needs. This chapter reviews how and why the four questions were chosen. The author focuses on their “practical utility,” a concept fundamental to all official statistics. He reports some progress in policy take-up of well-being statistics, though little media coverage, and a lack of evidence about whether people are thinking differently about their goals and their well-being based on well-being measures. Official statisticians must engage more with politics, policy, businesses, academia, and public opinion, thereby helping to stimulate demand for their outputs, including well-being measures. The author also questions how national well-being measures can be determined nationally while benefitting from international cooperation and standards.