Home Sector Federal Wellbeing Index raises questions about social isolation

Wellbeing Index raises questions about social isolation

Federal

Wellbeing Index raises questions about social isolation

0
by Staff Writers
April 30, 2009February 11, 2014
Wellbeing Index raises questions about social isolation

By Rob O'Brien
 
Governments should be looking at how to properly address social isolation through connecting communities, according to the author of the Australian Wellbeing Index.

Professor Bob Cummins, of the School of Psychology at Deakin University, said that despite index findings that showed an increased level of satisfaction in Australian communities in the aftermath of the Victorian bushfires and the Queensland floods, more help was needed for people who felt disconnected.

The Australian Wellbeing Index, which offers a regular barometer of Australians’ satisfaction with their lives and life in Australia generally, found there was an increase in the sense of community after the recent bushfires and flooding through sympathy and donations given to those affected by the disasters.

The latest survey was conducted from the end of February to the beginning of March in Victoria, Queensland and South Australia but not in areas affected by flooding and fires. Overall the study found wellbeing had risen by 1.1 points to 75.93 since October last year.

Despite the economic downturn, satisfaction with standard of living had risen by 1.4 points to 78.7, the second highest level yet recorded.
 
Professor Cummins said that although there was an increase in general wellbeing there were fractures in society that needed attention.

“One of the things we, as a society, and certainly as a government, have not given sufficient attention to is the extent to which communities actually form communities. People use the term 'community' to describe a geographic area but that is really quite wrong."

 
Professor Cummins said that in order to better understand what constitutes a community governments had to address social isolation and planning, particularly high-density residential developments which generally did not improve community cohesion and were “conducive to social isolation”.
 
“The whole business of designing living areas should pay much more attention to causing people to come into contact with their neighbours than they do at the moment,” he said.
 
“This side of things has been severely neglected.”
Like this news?

Related Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

SHORTLIST 0