Well-being (National Survey for Wales): April 2012 to March 2013

Key findings

Many aspects of life are linked with personal wellbeing, but most are no longer significant once other factors are controlled for. For example, people who live in urban areas tend to report lower levels wellbeing than people who live in rural areas. However, after controlling for things such as health, financial strain and employment status, living in an urban area was no longer linked with low wellbeing.

After controlling for other factors, age and sex emerge as key predictors of personal wellbeing:

Age: Internationally, the midlife dip in wellbeing is well-established, as well as being clearly evident among Welsh adults. Policy interventions may often target the specific needs that people have when they are young and when they are in later life. The specific needs of people in midlife, sandwiched between the demands of work and caring for both children and ailing parents, risk being overlooked.

Sex: Women are both more likely than men to have low well-being and to have high well-being. This pattern is masked when comparing averages. Policies aimed at lifting people out of low well-being will be particularly relevant to women, while policies aimed at lifting people from moderate to high well-being will have greater relevance for men.