Measuring Wellbeing

There are several strategies that have been adopted in the built environment to better account wellbeing. They branch across quantitative and qualitative measures, and can be categorised into two dimensions: objective, where wellbeing expands on capabilities and fair allocations, and subjective, where wellbeing expands on emotional wellbeing and life evaluation (Department of Health, 2014; Drabsch, 2012).Individual assessments in objective dimensions can include actual work, tasks, and physiological assessment, whereas subjective dimensions include direct self-report such as surveys, interviews, and focus groups.

It is important to note that objective measures are only a proxy of wellbeing – consequently, data gathered through that approach may not be substantial to determine wellbeing. On the other hand, subjective measures are more focused on individual perception – this however might question the generalisability of results. Table 1.1 explores a range of wellbeing measuring approaches, along with their methods, advantages, and potential limitations.