The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index - Satisfaction with Relationships

The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index monitors the subjective wellbeing of the Australian population. The survey was first conducted in 2001 with the latest survey undertaken in April 2012 (survey 27). The intervening period is marked by an increasing apprehension at the unstable international financial situation, with serious problems in Europe. The Australian economy, however, appeared stable.

Each survey involves a telephone interview with a new sample of 2,000 Australians, selected to represent the geographic distribution of the national population. These surveys comprise the Personal Wellbeing Index, which measures people’s satisfaction with their own lives, and the National Wellbeing Index, which measures how satisfied people are with life in Australia.

Other items include a standard set of demographic questions and other survey-specific questions. The specific topic for Survey 27 was the consequence of sleep patterns on wellbeing.

The Theory

The theoretical framework for the interpretation of data is the theory of Subjective Wellbeing Homeostasis. This proposes that each person has a ‘set-point’ for personal wellbeing that is internally maintained and defended. This set-point is genetically determined and, on average, causes personal wellbeing to be held at 75 points on a 0-100 scale.

The normal level of individual set-point variation is between about 60-90 percentage points. The provision of personal resources, such as money or relationships, cannot normally increase the set-point on a long term basis due to the genetic ceiling. However, they can strengthen defences against negative experience. Moreover, for someone who is suffering homeostatic defeat, the provision of additional resources may allow them to regain control of the wellbeing. In this case the provision of resources will cause personal wellbeing to rise until the set-point is achieved.

It’s proposed that low levels of personal resources, such as occasioned by low income or absence of a partner, weakens homeostasis. If personal challenges such as stress or pain exceed resources, homeostasis is defeated, and subjective wellbeing decreases below its normal range.

The Personal Wellbeing index includes standard of living, health, achieving, how safe we feel, community connection, future security, spiritual fulfillment as well as  Satisfaction with Relationships. Below is the survey outcomes for Satisfaction with Relationships

Satisfaction with Relationships

Satisfaction with Relationships, has not changed over the past 12 months, falling by a non-significant 0.5 points to 79.4. It is at a level no different than it was in survey 1 (78.2 points). The most sustained trend of increasing satisfaction for this domain began with the lowest level (77.2 points) in February 2008 and peaked at 81.5 points in April 2010, an overall rise of +4.3 points.