Commissioner calls for better measurement of wellbeing in Wales

Policy makers in Wales need to look more widely than the regular economic figures in order to assess the true wellbeing of the population, says the country’s Commissioner for Sustainable Futures, Peter Davies.

Mr Davies said the election of a new Welsh Government provided an excellent opportunity to improve the monitoring of ‘all the indicators that matter,’ when making decisions and shaping legislation.

Speaking at the annual general meeting of Cynnal Cymru – Sustain Wales, the body which promotes sustainable development, he said that people’s physical and mental health, family and community ties, their general lifestyles and the environment all needed to be analysed alongside economic data in order to get a full picture of the wellbeing of the nation.

The Commissioner stressed that economic prosperity and good employment remained vital contributory factors influencing people’s quality of life, but he added that it was important to examine other factors more closely in order to make better policy that ensures the wellbeing and long-term sustainability of Wales. 

He highlighted recent work done in Scotland and France to find better ways to measure national wellbeing and said this could provide valuable lessons for Wales.

Referring to recent discussions on this issue among stakeholders in Wales he said: “There is a growing acceptance that too much emphasis is placed on GDP as an indicator of progress, and we need to become better and more consistent at measuring health, social and environmental factors also.  

“We have much to gain from applying the lessons learned in Scotland and France, particularly in the context of our new administration here in Wales which has such a strong focus on delivery.  The Welsh Government’s One Wales One Planet sustainable development scheme does provide a platform for reporting economic, social and environmental progress, but that there is more work to be done to clarify the indicators, establish common understanding and to measure and apply them consistently across national and local government.”

The Commissioner was addressing more than 100 members of Cynnal Cymru-Sustain Wales who were drawn from a variety of bodies covering fields such as business, economics, politics, health and the environment.  

The gathering was also addressed by the Minister for the Environment and Sustainability, John Griffiths, who stressed that sustainability is one of the key priorities of the Welsh Government and that Wales will take a lead internationally on this issue.

Cynnal Cymru’s newly elected Chair, Dr Einir Young from Bangor University, supported the call for better monitoring of wellbeing indicators beyond pure economic measures.  She said: “There can often be too much weight given to GDP as an indicator of success, which doesn’t take into account wellbeing among individuals and of communities. It is vitally important that we improve how we measure other factors in order to assess Wales’ progress.  Cynnal Cymru’s growing network of individuals and organisations from communities across Wales will have a key role to play in defining ‘wellbeing.’ 

Contact: gwenllian@cynnalcymru.com