From National to Local: Measuring Well-Being at the Community Level

The Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) measures stability and change in the well-being of Canadians over time. Developed through a collaborative process and drawing upon valid and reliable data sources, the CIW monitors trends in well-being that allows citizens to advocate for change and for policy shapers to make informed, evidence-based decisions. Although originally intended to measure well-being at the national level, many communities have expressed considerable interest in assessing well-being locally. This chapter describes collaborative work with community partners to measure quality of life by using a Community Survey based on the CIW conceptual framework. We begin by describing the development of the CIW conceptual framework and measurement process. Then, we outline how the CIW framework has guided the development of a community well-being survey that provides timely, relevant, and locally accessible data where few such sources exist. Examples from survey results in three communities demonstrate how citizens’ well-being is affected by selected perceptual and situational factors identified by community partners. A discussion follows on how the survey has been used to initiate social change to promote well-being locally. The chapter concludes with some considerations of the limitations and possibilities of the community well-being survey approach along with future avenues for promoting policy change.