UK: happiness, well-being and the third sector

by Nick Aldridge 230 years since the United States declared independence, the pursuit of happiness is again entering mainstream political debate. David Cameron intends to promote ?General Well-Being?, which ?can’t be measured by money or traded in markets. It’s about the beauty of our surroundings, the quality of our culture, and above all the strength of our relationships.? The Government has commissioned the Whitehall Wellbeing Working Group, a committee of civil servants, to examine proposals on how ministers can increase our collective happiness. The Department of Health has now launched a commissioning framework for ?health and wellbeing?. As Richard Reeves demonstrated at acevo?s annual conference in December, wellbeing policies, dismissed by some critics as vacuous, have a solid philosophical and economic pedigree. They might also provide an opportunity for the countless third sector organisations that exist to foster quality of life in society. In the 19th Century, social commentators readily discussed the importance of building ?character?. According to John Stuart Mill, quality of life depends on quality of people. He argued that, ?The worth of the state is the worth of the individuals comprising it.? The state should prioritise the personal development of its citizens, since, ?with small men no great thing can be accomplished.? In 1930, John Maynard Keynes predicted that by now we would have ?solved the economic problem,? reaching a level of affluence that would make further growth unnecessary. Instead, we would have to confront the ?real, permanent problem?how?to live wisely and agreeably and well?. In 1948, Beveridge wrote that “The making of a good society depends not on the state but on the citizens? The happiness or unhappiness of the society in which we live depends upon ourselves as citizens, not on the instrument of political power which we call the state.” More recently, Anthony Giddens has argued for a broader and more positive understanding of the welfare state. ?Welfare shouldn?t just mean having a certain amount of money. Welfare should mean the capability of leading a reasonably fulfilling life.? Giving this impressive historical consensus on the importance of happiness and wellbeing, how can we increase it? The new ?scientists of happiness?, such as Richard Layard, can produce data. Countries with a per capita income over $10,000 do not increase reported happiness by getting richer. While income in European countries has doubled since 1960, the number of Europeans describing themselves as ?very happy? has remained unchanged at 35%. Those who have strong relationships with their partners and friends, enjoy good health, and actively pursue hobbies, are much happier than richer people who do not. In short, getting richer is far less important for happiness than the sort of personal development championed by Mill and other leading thinkers. What does this mean for the third sector ? those organisations that aim primarily to benefit the public? Should we forget about fighting poverty, unemployment and poor health, and focus instead on developing people?s autonomy and good character? Not quite. Within a given country, the rich are generally happier than the poor. So wellbeing policies should support organisations that reduce social inequality. Moreover, according to Professor Paul Dolan, Chair in Economics at the Tanaka Business School, ?Subjective well-being (SWB) is strongly related to health, particularly psychological health, and unemployment is highly detrimental to SWB.? A double-win for happiness comes from those helping people currently on incapacity benefit ? often due to depression or stress – to find work. These findings offer clear support for investment in preventative health services. Spending on mental health services, particularly those that aim to increase wellbeing and promote work opportunities, may reap the greatest benefits. In 2004/05, PCTs spent more on mental health programmes than any other type, at just over £7bn (11%). Little doubt exists that the state should aim to promote employment and good health among its citizens. Beyond these roles, state intervention can become harder to justify. Dolan provides one example, ?It?s shown that married people are happier ? so what does that mean for politics? Is that? something that should be left to individual choice?? Within a stable relationship, an active sex life also promotes well-being, but would the public welcome sex advice from politicians? Rather than offering their views on relationships, politicians might instead ensure that expert advice and support for people in relationships is readily available. A host of leading third sector organisations, such as Relate and fpa, already have vast experience in providing such services. Wellbeing policies also touch other neglected parts of the sector. The BBC?s helpful ?Happiness Manifesto?, which draws on the television series Making Slough Happy, encourages us to do ?a good turn for someone each day? and to ?say hello to a stranger?. At a less mundane level, these actions would appear to translate neatly into public participation in philanthropy, volunteering, and community development. Although Paul Dolan argues that in this case ?the evidence about causality has been overstated,? a growing body of research supports a connection between the third sector?s work and the wellbeing of those involved ? staff as well as beneficiaries. Professor Oswald and Jonathan Gardner at the University of Warwick asked 7000 Britons to rate their overall job satisfaction on a scale of one to seven. Those working in the third sector scored higher than their public and private sector counterparts. Professor Paul Whiteley, Director of the ESRC Democracy & Participation Research Programme, confirms a correlation. “[Our] research has revealed an interesting link between helping others and enjoying a good quality of life. It seems that when we focus on the needs of others, we may also reap benefits ourselves. It means that voluntary activity in the community is associated with better health, lower crime, improved educational performance and greater life satisfaction. Communities with lots of civic and community engagement are also communities that have environments that foster favourable outcomes such as these.” Organisations such as the National Trust and the Central Council of Physical Recreation actively increase happiness by supporting activities, including volunteering and recreation, that promote it. According to the CCPR, recreation counts for 26% of formal volunteering. The National Trust has 3.4 million paying members. Some organisations explicitly highlight the link with wellbeing: London South Bank University recently created a new ?Academy of Sport, Physical Activity and Wellbeing?. Such organisations are on the happiness frontline. We may hope that their work will, in future, be regarded as essential to national quality of life, in the same way as mainstream public services. As Anthony Crosland famously remarked, ?What one generation sees as a luxury, the next sees as a necessity?. In the meantime, to the extent that the government values wellbeing, policies should recognise and support the organisations that promote it. Acevo would like to hear from members that actively aim to increase wellbeing and happiness through their work. Contact: nick.aldridge@acevo.org.uk