Climate Change

Measuring National Well-being: Life in the UK 2012 provides a unique overview of well-being in the UK today. The report is the first snapshot of life in the UK to be delivered by the Measuring National Well-being programme and will be updated and published annually. Well-being is discussed in terms of the economy, people and the environment. Information such as the unemployment rate or number of crimes against the person are presented alongside data on people’s thoughts and feelings, for example, satisfaction with our jobs or leisure time and fear of crime. Together, a richer picture on ‘how society is doing’ is provided

The article is published as part of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) Measuring National Well-being programme. The programme aims to produce accepted and trusted measures of the well-being of the nation – how the UK as a whole is doing. This article explores in more detail the aspects of the Natural Environment that are considered important for measuring National Well-being. It includes information on the environmental assets available to us, how they are used and the pressure that places on the natural environment.

Summary of proposed domains and measures of national well-being

Most people have a clear impression of what the cities, towns and countryside look like in the UK, both physically and in terms of the lives of the people who live there. This article compares rural and urban areas statistically for themes such as working, income and earnings, services and population, using geographical classifications. There is quantitative evidence that rural areas are better off than urban areas on a number of different measures, such as unemployment and crime. In a few respects rural areas are worse off. Using classifications that show sparse areas of England and Wales, some topics show ‘two countrysides’ – a better off, less sparse and more accessible one, and a less populous and isolated sparse countryside. Patterns within urban areas often differ, with the most urban areas of England frequently showing particular trends and the widest variations.

Number 38, 2008 Edition