Christian Science Monitor
By Mary Helen Miller, Correspondent / April 4, 2011
In February, the Boston suburb included a life-satisfaction survey in the annual census form it mailed to its 80,000 residents. Question No. 2: “How satisfied are you with your life in general?”
If this sounds a little fluffy, it’s actually part of a growing effort by cities and nations – from Bhutan to Brazil – to measure their citizens’ well-being. The data are too new to know if governments can measure happiness – or if they can, what they can do to improve it. Still, the fact that more and more governments are asking suggests widening concern that societies, while richer, may not be happier.
“Despite the fact that incomes have risen, and GDP [gross domestic product] has risen, happiness in the US is as flat as a pancake,” says David Blanchflower, an economist at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., who has studied the measurement of happiness. “It hasn’t risen since the 1970s.”
Read Article in Christian Science Monitor
Here is more on the topic from the Somerville Resistat April 6, 2011
We hope you filled out the City’s Well-Being and Community Survey that was sent out with the Census forms in January (if not, see below for how to take part). We’re barely finished collecting survey forms, but already the Christian Science Monitor highlighted our effort with a thoughtful article (read the story by clicking here).
Somerville is the first U.S. city to survey resident life satisfaction as a way to better inform public policy. But the approach is gaining interest overseas, with Britain and France leading the way. The idea behind it is simple: we need to broaden our definition of what makes for good policy. Currently, most governments rely on economic activity (gross domestic product) as the main indicator of their effectiveness. But an increasing number of policy makers and researchers point out that other factors including happiness should also be considered. (Here’s an interesting article on happiness and public policy from The New Yorker.)
Here’s one way that might work: Development can bring economic productivity and tax revenues (seen as good), but also traffic jams (which cause unhappiness). Keeping both in mind, a city pursuing new development should also plan to alleviate traffic (such as building near public transportation). But while this thinking is obvious enough that no survey is needed, well-being surveys can help policy makers take into account the many less obvious factors that affect happiness.
“This is another example of how Somerville tries to stay on the leading edge of governmental innovation. We really do care about the well-being of our residents and, with the help of this survey, if there is something we can identify that would improve the well-being of our residents, then we will pursue that,” said Mayor Joe Curtatone.
Tara Acker, Director of SomerStat, further explained, “We’re a city that makes decisions based on data, but we need the right data to better understand how to improve life-quality for residents. This year is a baseline survey. As we conduct surveys each year, we’ll get an increasingly clear picture of what impacts resident well-being and we’ll use that data to inform policy and start conversations about policy with residents.”
Internationally renowned happiness researcher Daniel Gilbert, a professor of Psychology at Harvard University and best-selling author of Stumbling on Happiness, partnered with the City to create the survey (he is providing his services to the City at no cost). Results should be available early this summer.
How to participate: Surveys will be accepted until June 1 and are completely anonymous. To download a survey, click here. Or request one by emailing dtaylor [at] somervillema.gov. Please mail your completed survey to City of Somerville, Census Office, City Hall, 93 Highland Avenue, Somerville, MA 02143-1740, or drop it at one of the 15 Census Drop Boxes located throughout the city (click here for locations).
P.S. Did you know that “Research shows that people who participate in political activities such as voting are happier than those who don’t,” according to the The New Yorker.
Read or Download copy of Somerville Happiness Survey 2011 as PDF
