The Winter 2025 Regional Wellbeing Survey is now open!
Are you living with dementia, or supporting someone living with dementia?
The third National Forum on Australia’s Wellbeing will be held in Canberra, 21-23 October 2025
Wellbeing & Resilience Unit
WELLRES
Health Research Institute, University of Canberra
WHY DO WE NEED BETTER DATA ON WELLBEING?
WHY DO WE NEED BETTER DATA ON WELLBEING?
Worldwide, many nations and organisations — including the United Nations, the OECD, and more than 50 countries — are now measuring social progress using measures that go beyond economic growth. This is because it is increasingly understood that economic growth alone doesn’t guarantee a good quality of life. We need to understand how liveable, safe and friendly communities are, if they have good access to key services and infrastructure, and if they are welcoming and inclusive. In other words, we need to know if they provide a good life for the people who live in them.
We are getting better at measuring wellbeing – but there remain big gaps in data for small communities, rural and remote regions, and groups with unique wellbeing determinants and needs.
Since 2013, the Regional Wellbeing team at the University of Canberra have been asking people across Australia, about the liveability of their communities, their wellbeing and the things affecting it, and how they navigate challenging times.
We produce a wide range of reports, as well as data tables showing the latest survey data for regions right across Australia, and for specific groups including carers, farmers and those impacted by natural hazards such as drought, flood and bushfire. Many organisations use our data to track quality of life in their region or industry. Researchers can also apply to access our data sets.