The Office for National Statistics Experience of Collecting and Measuring Subjective Well-Being

Abstract

The UK Office for National Statistics (ONS) started measuring subjective wellbeing in 2011 as part of the ONS Measuring National Well-being programme. The aim of the Measuring National Well-being programme is to measure the quality of life and progress of the UK. This article explores the development of the ONS subjective well-being measures, data collection methods, data presentational considerations, overview of findings, and latest developments. It discusses the way in which user engagement has been key to the development of the ONS subjective well-being statistics.