APS Compass for Life Wellbeing Survey · There are many dicherent ways of thinking about ... valuable things was a sign of success or made them ... • The APS Compass for Life survey

1Psychology Week 2016 Wellbeing Survey

Wellbeing SurveyAPS Compass for Life


Introducing the

Compass for LifeWays to Thrive

EngagementBeing interested and involved in life.

Positive EmotionsExperiencing positive feelings such as joy, calmness, and satisfaction.

AccomplishmentThe belief and ability to do things that matter most to us, achieving goals, and having a sense of mastery.

Relationships

Feeling loved, valued, and connected with others.

MeaningHaving a sense of

direction, feeling that our lives are valuable and worthwhile, and

connecting to something bigger than ourselves.


Introduction 6

Ways to Thrive: an overview of the building blocks of wellbeing for Australians 7

What is wellbeing and how can we measure it? 7

Building blocks of wellbeing 8

Overview 9

Key findings on Australian adults 9

Wellbeing of Australians adolescents 10

Other key findings 11

Methodology 12

Survey participants and timeframe 12

The survey 12

Research findings 13

Spontaneous Features of a Good Life 13

Wellbeing of Australian adults 14

Overall wellbeing: international comparisons 15

Overall satisfaction with life and future outlook 16

Demographic factors and wellbeing 17

Gender 17

Age 17

Money and happiness 19

Household income 19

Consumerism 19

Key building blocks of wellbeing 20

Taking notice and mindfulness practice 20

Taking notice 21

Mindfulness practice 22

Close connections 23


Workplace connections 24

Social media engagement 25

Community connectedness 26

Group fitness participation 26

Contents


Sense of belonging in community 27

Community participation 28

Self-care activities: Health 29

Adequate Sleep 29

Keeping active 30

Self-care activities: Diet 31

Fruit and vegetable intake 31

Other building blocks to wellbeing 32

Strengths-based approach in life 32

Broadening ones’ world view 33

Keep learning 33

Hobbies and leisure activities 34

Reading 35

Wellbeing of Australian adolescents 36

Overall wellbeing: comparisons with previous findings 36

Overall satisfaction with life and future outlook 37

Demographics factors and wellbeing 37

Gender 37

Age 37

Adolescents and Consumerism 38

Key building blocks of wellbeing for adolescents 39

Taking notice and mindfulness practice 39

Taking notice 39

Mindfulness practice 40



Peer connections 41

Community Connectedness 43

Group fitness participation 43

Feeling safe 43

Sense of belonging in community 44

Community participation 44

Contents


Self-care activities: Health 45

Adequate Sleep 45

Keeping active 45

Self-care activities: Diet 46

Fruit and vegetable intake 46

Sugary drinks consumption 46

Fast food consumption 46

Other building blocks of wellbeing 47

Strengths-based approach in life 47

Broadening ones’ world view 48

Keep learning 48

Hobbies and leisure activities 49

Reading 49

Acknowledgements 50

Project team 50

Appendices 51

Appendix A - Activities and Community Wellbeing 51

Frequency of behaviour/activities in relation to wellbeing: Adults vs. Adolescents 51

Frequency of Activities: Adults-only items 54

Appendix B – Social Media Engagement and Consumerism 55

Social Media Engagement 55

Consumerism 55

Appendix C – Life Satisfaction and Future Outlook 56

Contents


IntroductionPsychology Week is an annual initiative of the Australian Psychological Society (APS) which aims to increase public awareness of how psychology can help people lead healthier, happier and more meaningful lives. Annually, the APS conducts a survey to examine an aspect of Australians’ wellbeing and to suggest ways to improve community wellbeing.

Research from the field of positive psychology has shown that five key pillars (Positive emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment) underpin our psychological wellbeing, and by focusing on these aspects of life we can improve our health, happiness and satisfaction with life. In 2016 the Australian Psychological Society introduces the Compass for Life, a campaign that will help Australians measure and improve their happiness and wellbeing by promoting ways to thrive.

The Compass for Life report provides the basis for this year’s campaign by measuring the wellbeing and happiness of Australians (adults and young people aged 13-17) to identify the factors – particularly the behaviours, activities and attitudes – that help people to thrive.

Psychologists can help people to thrive. It is important to arm people with knowledge and skills to improve their wellbeing. The APS Compass for Life report provides a foundation by showing the activities, actions and attitudes that relate to wellbeing. The report also underlines the importance of psychological wellbeing to our life satisfaction and happiness.Professor Lyn Littlefield FAPS OAM, Executive Director The Australian Psychological Society

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There are many different ways of thinking about wellbeing. One of the co-founders of the field of positive psychology, Professor Martin Seligman, suggests that there are five pillars that underpin flourishing:

• Positive emotion (positive feelings such as feeling happy, joyful, relaxed or excited)

• Engagement (being interested and involved in life)

• Positive Relationships (feeling loved, valued, and connected with others)

• Meaning (having a sense of direction, feeling that our lives are valuable and worthwhile, and connecting to something bigger than ourselves)

• Accomplishment (a sense of achievement, setting and reaching goals, small victories) – or PERMA1.

We can think about these as five different areas of life that together provide a sense that life is going well. For many people, good physical Health is another important part of feeling good and functioning well.

Wellbeing is something that develops across our lives. For young people, an important part of wellbeing are the attitudes and characteristics that they are developing. In this survey, we asked young people about five positive characteristics:

• Engagement (ability to pay attention, being interested in your learning and other activities)

• Perseverance (sticking with things even when they gets hard)

• Optimism (feeling positive and hopeful about the future)

• Connectedness (being able to connect and feel valued by friends and other people in your life), and

• Happiness (generally feeling happy with your life) – or EPOCH.

These positive characteristics are really useful for building PERMA in the future. Happiness relates to positive emotion, being able to engage helps you to get more out of life, being able to connect with others helps you create positive relationships, a sense of optimism helps you look for the good in life and find a sense of purpose that benefits you and others, and sticking with things is key to accomplishment.

Ways to thrive: an overview of the building blocks of wellbeing for AustraliansWhat is wellbeing and how can we measure it?

1 More information on the building blocks of wellbeing measures can be found atwww.peggykern.org/questionnaires.html

Insights from Dr Peggy Kern at the Centre of Positive Psychology, University of Melbourne

The PERMA and EPOCH surveys provide a mental fitness check-up – you can see how you are doing right now in these different areas. Some areas might be higher or lower at different points in time, depending on other things going on in your life. Wellbeing is not just something that happens: just like we have to take care of our physical health, we also need to support and nourish our mental wellbeing and social relationships.


Building blocks of wellbeing

Taking notice, mindfulness practice

Community connectedness

Group fitness participationFeeling safe

Sense of belongingCommunity participation

Close connectionsRelationships

Workplace connectionsHousehold typeMarital status

Social media engagement

Broadening ones’ world viewkeep learning,

having hobbies, reading

Strengths-based approach in life

Self-care activities: health and diet

Adequate sleepKeeping active

Adequate fruits + vegies intakeAvoid sugary drinks

Avoid fast food consumption

The wellbeing compass keeps pointing to a socially and physically active and engaged lifestyle with an element of self-care, mindfulness and hope. It includes a thorough assessment of risk and protective factors for psychological health and wellbeing. Hopefully practice will follow.Associate Professor Dianne Vella-Brodrick MAPS, Deputy Director (Research) at Centre for Positive Psychology, MGSE, University of Melbourne

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OverviewAs part of the Australian Psychological Society Compass for Life survey, 1,000 Australian adults responded to a series of wellbeing, behavioural and social media questions. The survey utilised the evidence-based wellbeing measure, the PERMA –profiler, which measures flourishing across five key domains (Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment) which have been shown to support psychological wellbeing.

Overall, the survey respondents reported a positive sense of wellbeing, with most people having above-average scores for wellbeing. This included a quarter who reported very high levels of wellbeing.

Australians appear to have lives rich in relationships and meaning, rating highest on these two measures. In particular, strong relationships and community connectedness appear to be related to wellbeing for Australians.

Interestingly, adults reporting a high usage of social media, a platform designed to bring people closer together, also reported significantly higher levels of Loneliness and Negative emotions.

The future looks bright: For Australian adults, wellbeing was closely linked to life satisfaction and future outlook. People with the highest wellbeing score were also the most optimistic about the future and satisfied with their lives. Overall, about one in four of Australians adults are highly satisfied with their lives (24%) and future outlook (23%), while one in five Australian adults are unsatisfied with their lives (21%) and future outlook (22%).

A good life: When asked to spontaneously name the three things that make for a good life, Australians answered: good health/wellbeing, family/relationships and wealth/money.

Health and particularly relationships were shown to have a strong relationship with wellbeing. Although over half the Australians surveyed said that acquiring valuable things was a sign of success or made them happy, the results showed that household income was unrelated to wellbeing.

Wellbeing: A clear pattern of attitudes, activities and behaviours emerged from the data, suggesting a template for wellbeing.

• Connectedness with close ones (family, friends, work colleagues) and the broader community are related to higher wellbeing.

• Lifestyle choices such as being active, getting a good night’s sleep, engaging in relaxing and/or mindfulness activities were also associated with higher wellbeing scores.

• Attitude to life was also important. People who are able to live in the moment and be present, as well as people who were open to new experiences, reported higher wellbeing scores.

• The APS Compass for Life survey also provides evidence that having a hobby and having a keen interest in learning about the broader world related to a positive sense of wellbeing.

Age/life stage: People aged 65+ scored significantly higher on overall wellbeing and lower on Negative emotions and Loneliness compared to the rest of the sample. People aged 25-34 scored significantly higher scores on Loneliness than adults 35 years and over.

Key findings on Australian adults:Money

• 39% of Australians surveyed rated money/wealth as important to a good life but overall wellbeing levels across income groups were similar.

• One in ten Australians surveyed said acquiring valuable things such as expensive clothes, cars, or homes was a sign of success.

Taking notice and mindfulness practice

• Over half of Australians surveyed (52%) reported that often or every day they ‘live in the moment’ and this group scored significantly higher on most domains of wellbeing compared to the remainder of the sample.

• Australians who often or always engage in relaxation or mindfulness activities such as yoga, listening to music or meditation (26%) reported higher wellbeing scores.

• Mindfulness activities were also associated with wellbeing – 39% of Australians rarely participate in relaxation and mindfulness activities and they scored lower on most domains of wellbeing.

Close connections

• Three in four (75%) Australians surveyed have close relationships, connecting with their family, partner and/or children every day.

• People who rarely or never connect with close ones reported lower scores on all domains of wellbeing. They also scored lower on Loneliness and higher on Negative emotions.

• Three in ten Australians surveyed connect with colleagues or workmates regularly. Again, people who scored low on connection at work reported lower wellbeing across the board.

• 63% of women were frequent users of social media in contrast to 47% of men. People


constantly engaging with social media had significantly higher levels of Negative emotions and Loneliness than other Australians.


• Those involved in sporting clubs and gyms generally reported higher scores on all wellbeing measures.

• Nearly a third of Australians surveyed (32%) feel a strong sense of belonging to their community. People who do not feel strongly connected (30%) scored lower across all domains of wellbeing.

• Australians who regularly actively contribute to their community (28%) reported significantly higher scores across all domains of wellbeing. People who rarely contribute had higher levels of Loneliness and Negative emotions.

Self-care activities

• Poor sleepers (19%) scored significantly lower on all domains of wellbeing.

• Being active each day is related to multiple measures of wellbeing.

• One in three Australians is active once a week or less and low levels of activity are associated with lower levels of wellbeing and health.

Attitude to life

• Two in five Australians (40%) reported they often or always seek new experiences that broaden their world view. People with a broad world view and interest in travel and new adventures have higher wellbeing scores across all domains.

Wellbeing of Australians adolescents Just over five hundred (518) Australian adolescents (aged 13-17) took part in the APS Compass for Life survey which included the EPOCH wellbeing measure as well as a range of behavioural and social media questions. The EPOCH measures wellbeing in adolescents across five key domains – Engagement, Perseverance, Optimism, Connectedness and Happiness.

Overall, Australian adolescents report a positive sense of wellbeing and a strong sense of Connectedness.

In addition, doing activities regularly such as using their strengths, broadening their world view, having hobbies and reading were associated with significantly higher scores across all the measures of wellbeing.

However, there are some concerning findings: about one in six Australian adolescents are unsatisfied with their lives (15%) and future outlook (16%). Almost one in three Australian adolescents (30%) report that acquiring valuable things such as expensive clothes, accessories and other things makes them happy.

Also concerning was that only 45% of adolescents feel a strong sense of belonging to their community (e.g. school). The least connected scored lower across all domains of wellbeing.

The findings suggest that there are a range of regular activities that Australian adolescents could do to improve their wellbeing including being active, taking time to reflect and relax, being involved with community, catching up with friends and family, eating well, reading, travelling and having new experiences as well as finding a hobby.


Other key findings:Wellbeing

• Girls and boys reported similar levels of wellbeing.

Mindfulness

• 47% of Australian adolescents regularly ‘live in the moment’ (i.e. taking notice and being aware of their own thoughts/feelings and the world around them).

• Adolescents who rarely ‘live in the moment’ (18%) scored significantly lower across all domains of wellbeing as measured by the EPOCH measure.

• 36% of Australian adolescents regularly engage in relaxation or mindfulness activities (e.g. yoga, listening to music, meditation).

• 27% rarely or never take time to relax or engage in mindfulness activities and they scored significantly lower on overall wellbeing.

Close connections

• The majority of Australian adolescents (74%) often or always connected with their families, close friends and/or boy/girlfriend everyday they had higher wellbeing scores.

• People who rarely connected with friends and family scored significantly lower across all domains on the EPOCH measure of wellbeing.

• More than three in five adolescents (63%) regularly connected with friends, while people who rarely connected reported significantly lower levels of wellbeing across the board.


• 36% of adolescents participate as a member of a sports club or fitness. Adolescents who rarely or never participated scored significantly lower on several measures of wellbeing.

• 31% of adolescents said they don’t feel safe in their neighbourhood.

• One in five Australian adolescents (19%) regularly contribute to their community. Adolescents are involved with their community score significantly higher across all domains of wellbeing.

Self-care

• Only three in five (62%) Australian adolescents report regularly getting a good night’s sleep. Almost one in ten (9%) get a good night’s sleep once a week or less.

• Poor sleepers scored significantly lower across most domains on the EPOCH measure.

• Regularly being active was associated with higher scores on many of the measures of wellbeing for adolescents – 43% of adolescents reported being active every day or more often.

• Lower wellbeing was associated with lower levels of activity – 23% of adolescents were active once a week or less.

• A significant proportion of Australian adolescents were not eating enough fruit and vegetables – 19% ate sufficient fruit and vegetables only once a week or less.

• One in five (19%) Australian adolescents consumed soft drinks almost every day or more.

• More than two in three adolescents (69%) frequently (at least once a week) consumed fast food.


MethodologySurvey participants/timeframe The Australian Psychological Society (APS), in conjunction with a market research company, conducted an online survey with a representative sample of Australians.

The national sample consisted of a thousand Australian adults (N=1000) and over five hundred Australian adolescents (N=518) comprised of approximately equal numbers of males and females.

The adult sample was sourced from the Roy Morgan Consumer Panel and the teen sample was sourced from ISO-accredited sample partner, recruited via parents with consent. The final sample was weighted by age, sex, region and work status using latest population estimates from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The online survey was conducted over a week period from 2nd to 10th of August 2016.

The surveyThe online survey features two evidence-based scales developed by Dr. Peggy Kern and colleagues from the University of Melbourne’s Centre for Positive Psychology.

The PERMA-profiler2 for Australian adults:

The PERMA-Profiler measures five pillars that underpin a sense of flourishing in life – Positive emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning and Accomplishment – or PERMA, alongside with negative emotions, physical health and loneliness. It is based on research showing that these five key life domains influence psychological being. The PERMA profiler provides an overall sense of wellbeing for individuals.

It is not a diagnostic measure and there is no right or wrong profile and the results most likely vary for different people depending where they are at in life. No one element defines wellbeing, but each of the PERMA elements contributes to it.

The EPOCH wellbeing measure3 for Australian adolescents:

The EPOCH wellbeing measure focuses on five domains or positive characteristics in adolescents: Engagement, Perseverance, Optimism, Connectedness, and Happiness that are predictors of wellbeing and health in adolescents and underpin their development of PERMA in adulthood (for example the ability to connect with others predicts better social relationships down the road).

The survey also included, in consultation with the experts4 in the field of positive psychology and wellbeing, a range of behaviour, activities, attitude and future outlook questions to study the relationship between these items and wellbeing as measured by PERMA/EPOCH, with the aim of discovering some of the building blocks of wellbeing and ways to thrive for Australians. For comparisons between different groups (e.g. males/ females, different age groups, frequencies of behaviour and activities such as mindfulness exercise, etc.), a combination of parametric and non-parametric statistical techniques were applied. These included correlation analysis to study the relationships among variables (e.g. level of wellbeing and life satisfaction); omnibus F-tests for one-way ANOVAs for independent variables of interest (e.g. testing for effect of age on level of wellbeing), and Games-Howell multiple comparison tests to test for sub-group differences (e.g. segment differences), as this test does not assume equal variances nor equivalent sample sizes. The data presented has been selected on the basis of a preliminary analysis of noteworthy findings that are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Where no significant findings were uncovered for given groups or demographic variables, results were omitted from this report. Note that figures cited throughout this report may not sum to 100% due to rounding and/or multiple response questions.

2 Butler, J., & Kern, M. L. (in press). The PERMA-Profiler: A brief multidimensional measure of flourishing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 6(3).

3 Kern, M. L., Benson, L., Steinberg, E. A., & Steinberg, L. (2016). The EPOCH measure of adolescent wellbeing. Psychological Assessment, 28, 586-597. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pas0000201

4 Refer to page 49 for details on the project team


Research FindingsSpontaneous Features of a Good Life5

• Having Good Health/Wellbeing (57%) is the top response that comes to mind when Australians are spontaneously asked to list the three things that make a good life. This was followed by Family/Relationships (50%) and Money/Wealth (39%).

• Only a small percentage of people spontaneously mentioned Employment (6%), Food and Travel (each 5%).

Q. For you, what are the top three things that come to mind for a good life?

5 Base: Australians 13+ (n=1,518)Note: Open Ended Question. Multiple responses up to 3 allowed. Responses less than 5% not shown


Wellbeing of Australian adultsOverall wellbeing – international comparisons Most Australian adults report a positive sense of wellbeing. The average PERMA-Profiler Score (Overall Wellbeing) is 6.85 on a scale from zero to ten, with three-quarters of adults scoring 6 or higher and one quarter scoring 8 or higher on the wellbeing measure. Across the five domains of wellbeing, Australian adults rated most favourably on Relationships. They also reported lower levels of Loneliness and Negative emotions.

PERMA international comparison

P E R M APositive Emotions Engagement Relationships Meaning Accomplishment


6 PERMA comparison data (1 October 2015 – 13 March 2016) from Authentic Happiness Website: https://www.authentichappiness.sas.upenn.eduBase: Australians 18+ (n=1000), weighting adjustments made to ensure the sample adequately reflected the population by age, sex and region.Note: PERMA answer scale from: 0 to 10 (Never – Always; Terrible – Excellent; Not at all – Completely).

Overall Wellbeing PERMA scores

When compared to the PERMA-Profiler international data obtained from Authentic Happiness website6, across sex and age, Australians had similar wellbeing scores.

As a whole, Australians are doing well, scoring above the median of the scale on all of the domains. They are on par with other developed countries around the world. A key finding coming from this, which echoes what we see in research across various fields, is how important relationships are to wellbeing. We are social creatures by nature — connecting with others is part of our biological core. Notably, even though over a third of people surveyed believe that having lots of money will make them happy, people without as much money felt just as happy as people with much more. It is also clear that wellbeing does not just happen. People who are actively doing things to support their wellbeing through positive physical, social, and mental activities, are doing much better than people who do not do such activities.Peggy Kern PhD, Senior Lecturer at Centre for Positive Psychology, MGSE, University of Melbourne ”

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Overall satisfaction with life and future outlookOne in five Australian adults are unsatisfied with their lives (21%) and future outlook (22%). About one in four of Australians adults (24%) are highly satisfied with their lives and future outlook (23%).

An expected, life satisfaction and wellbeing are closely related. The more satisfied people are with their lives the higher the wellbeing scores and vice versa.

The more satisfied Australians were with their future outlook, the higher they scored across the board on PERMA.


These days we have many demands on our attention and our time but the survey shows that people who invest in relationships, who prioritise the important people in their lvies and connect to their community reap the benefits.

Community connections were to be important also which is no surprise as being involved in our communities provides a social support network and sense of meaning that been shown to as important to our happiness. We like to belong and feel better when we are contributing to something bigger than ourselves.

Curiosity and a love of learning ensure that life is always interesting – when we learn we are engaged in life and there are more opportunities for growth and change.”

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Professor Lyn Littlefield FAPS OAM, Executive Director The Australian Psychological Society


Age


Demographic factors and wellbeing

GenderMen and women had similar scores for wellbeing but women reported significantly higher Loneliness than men.

AgeAustralians aged 65+ scored significantly higher on overall wellbeing and significantly lower on Negative emotions and Loneliness compared to the rest of the population. This suggests older Australians generally felt better (regularly experiencing joy, enjoyment, and satisfaction), more involved and engaged with life and activities, experienced strong relationships and connections, and were able to find meaning and a greater sense of connection to people and the world around them.

In contrast to the common image of older people as physically weaker and less healthy, these Australians actually rated their health more highly than their younger counterparts aged 25-49. Australians aged 25 to 54 were less likely to be satisfied with their physical health. Young Australians adults (age 25-34) had significantly lower scores on Engagement, Positive emotion, and overall wellbeing. Adults 18-24 scored significantly higher on Loneliness than people aged 35 and over.


Age



Money and happiness

Household incomeDespite Money/Wealth (39%) being one of the top responses that comes to mind when Australians are asked to list three things that make a good life, this survey didn’t find any evidence to support the claim that money and happiness are related.

ConsumerismOne in ten Australians adults (11%) said acquiring valuable things such as expensive homes, cars, clothes, and other things is a sign of success. However, people with high levels of consumerism reported significantly higher scores on Negative emotions.

Acquiring valuable things is a sign of success to me

Other people and life experiences matter whereas materialism and wealth lose their significance over time and as we accumulate more beyond a basic threshold.Associate Professor Dianne Vella-Brodrick MAPS, Deputy Director (Research) at Centre for Positive Psychology, MGSE, University of Melbourne ”“


Key building blocks of wellbeingPeople connections are shown to be extremely important to wellbeing. The ability to connect with oneself (i.e. recognising your reactions and feelings so that you can respond to your own needs and take good care of yourself), with close ones (family, friends, colleagues), and the broader community are all related to higher wellbeing scores. This survey also provides evidence that having a hobby, being open to new experiences and learning about the broader world are all related to higher wellbeing scores.

Lifestyle choices such as being active, getting a good night’s sleep, eating enough fruit and vegetables, engaging in relaxation and/or mindfulness activities and living in the moment are all related to higher scores on PERMA.

Taking notice and mindfulness practiceThe benefits of mindfulness and the way mindfulness can positively impact wellbeing are of growing interest to psychologists and the community. There is now some scientific research that supports various ways that mindfulness and meditation promote wellbeing during different stages and circumstances of life.

Mindfulness is best understood as a person’s capacity to be present within the moment and allow oneself to engage all senses within a task. Contrary to the common perception of mindfulness equating meditation, it is more an attitude regarding how people engage within moments and activities in their day. The survey found Australians who take notice and are aware of their own thoughts and feelings and the world around them, and people who engage in mindfulness or relaxation practice regularly (may or may not be in the form of meditation), fare better across the wellbeing measure.

Living in the moment does not mean being reckless or carefree. Rather, by being able to pay attention to the current moment, we are less likely to “dredge up” bad things from the past making us feel bad, or run “what if” scenarios about the future, making us feel anxious. We can still savour good things from the past, and plan well for the future–just pay attention to what you are mindful of.Associate Professor Lindsay Oades, Director of Centre for Positive Psychology, MGSE, University of Melbourne ”

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Taking notice Over half of Australians (52%) reported that they ‘Live in the moment’ (i.e. taking notice and being aware of your own thoughts/ feelings and the world around you) almost every day or more often and these Australians scored significantly higher on all domains of wellbeing and significantly lower on Negative emotion.

Living in the moment



Mindfulness practice Mindfulness is an important part of wellbeing. Australians who often or always (26%) take the time to engage in relaxation or mindfulness activities (e.g. yoga, listening to music, meditation) also have higher wellbeing scores than people who do not. Despite the emerging benefits almost two in five Australians (39%) rarely or never engage in a regular mindfulness practice and they scored significantly lower across all domains of wellbeing and significantly higher on Negative emotions.

I take time to engage in relaxation or mindfulness activities



Close connectionsAs human beings we are wired to connect. Relationships give us a sense of belonging to the group, a sense of identity in contrast to others in that group and an almost therapeutic support system.

Australians who connect to close ones every day, or people who take the time to connect with colleagues or peers socially, scored higher on wellbeing. Interestingly, people who reported engaging with social media scored higher on Negative emotion and Loneliness compared to people who rarely engaged in social media.

Close connectionsAn encouraging finding is that three in four Australians (75%) often or always connect with their family, partner, and/or children every day. These Australians also score significantly higher on Positive emotions, better Relationships, Meaning and overall wellbeing than the rest of those surveyed. People who rarely or never connect with people close to them report significantly higher levels of Negative emotions and Loneliness.

7 Australian Psychological Society. (2015). Stress and wellbeing: How Australians are Coping with Life. http://www.psychology.org.au/Assets/Files/PW15-SR.pdf

I connect with close ones everyday



Workplace connectionsTaking time to connect with colleagues and workmates is important for wellbeing, with three in ten Australians reporting often or always doing so. People who rarely or never do so reported significantly lower wellbeing scores across the board. This also has implications for work productivity and outcomes as research indicates that successful workgroups are more likely when employees are friends with their colleagues8.

I connect with close ones everyday

I take time to connect with my colleagues/peers socially/informally

8 Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L. & Hayes, T. L. (2002). Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(2), 268–279.



Social media9 engagement Females had significantly higher social media usage than males. Two-thirds of women (63%) used it at least a few times a day or more often compared with 47% of men. Younger respondents also had higher social media usage than older respondents.

The APS Compass for Life survey found that Australian adults who heavily engage with social media also scored significantly higher on Negative emotions and Loneliness than those who didn’t.

9 Social Media platforms include: Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat etc.

How often do you typically engage with social media?

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“There is both good and bad in social media. People who are more engaged in social media experience more negative emotions and greater loneliness. Nevertheless for some segments of the population such as people in rural and remote settings and for older adults, social media can be a helpful way of overcoming loneliness. Associate Professor Erica Frydenberg Hon FAPS, MGSE, University of Melbourne



Community ConnectednessBeing engaged in your community is a key to wellbeing: being part of a local fitness or sports club, actively contributing to community, and having a sense of community are all related to higher wellbeing. As social beings, connectedness is important for our overall wellbeing and sense of purpose.

Group fitness participation One in five Australians surveyed participate regularly as a member of a fitness group or sports club. People involved in sporting clubs and gyms scored higher on Positive emotion, Accomplishment, overall wellbeing and health.

Rather than striving to thrive, we actually thrive from striving…with others!A/Prof Lindsay Oades, Director at Centre for Positive Psychology, MGSE, University of Melbourne

I participate as a member of a fitness group or sports club

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Sense of belonging in communityNearly a third of Australians (30%) reported rarely or never feeling a great sense of belonging to their community, while nearly equal numbers stated the opposite, reporting they often or always (32%) feel they belong. People who reported low levels of belonging scored significantly lower across all domains of wellbeing.

I feel a great sense of belonging to my community




Community participationJust over a quarter of Australians adults (28%) reported that they often or always actively contribute to their community. These Australians reported significantly higher scores across all domains of wellbeing and significantly lower scores for Negative emotions and Loneliness.

I actively contribute to my community




Self-care activities: Health

Adequate Sleep Sleep is important to wellbeing. Almost one in five Australians (19%) reported only getting a good night sleep once a week (or less). Poor sleepers scored significantly lower on Relationships, Positive emotion, Engagement and Meaning while good sleep was associated with significantly higher wellbeing scores across the board.

Getting a good night’s sleep



Keeping active Of concern was that one in three Australians reported being active once a week or less. People who are active each day reported significantly higher scores on Positive emotion, Engagement, Meaning, Accomplishment and lower scores on Negative emotion.

Being active

Being active



Self-care activities: DietDiet is important to our overall wellbeing. People who reported that they regularly eat fruit and vegetables and avoid sugary drinks all scored higher on all domains of wellbeing than people with poor habits in these areas.

Fruit and vegetable intakePeople who ate enough fruit and vegetables (5+ portions a day) only once a week or less – one in five Australians (19%) – also scored significantly lower across all the five domains of PERMA and physical health in general.



Other building blocks to wellbeingStrengths-based approach in life People who are resilient and know their own strengths and use them to achieve their goals have higher wellbeing scores, while the opposite is true for people without a good sense of themselves in this area. This is in line with the current literature which shows the use of character strengths contributes positively to both physical and mental wellbeing10.

10 Proctor, C., Maltby, J., & Linley, P.A. (2011). Strengths use as a predictor of well-being and health-related quality of life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 12, 153–169.

I know my strengths and use them to achieve what I want



I seek new experiences that broaden my world view

Broadening ones’ world viewPeople who engage in activities that broaden their world view or perspectives on things also have higher wellbeing scores than people who do not. These activities include hobbies, reading, travel and leisure activities – all of which contribute to learning something new for an individual. This also reflects a general sense of curiosity for life and a love of learning.

Keep learning Two in five Australians (40%) reported they often or always seek new experiences that broaden their world view. People with a broad world view, interest in travel and life adventures have significantly higher wellbeing scores across all domains.



Having hobbies and leisure activities About a quarter of Australians (24%) rarely or never spend time doing a hobby (e.g. drawing, gardening). These Australians also reported significantly lower scores across all domains of wellbeing.

I spend time doing a hobby



Reading Australians love reading – one in two Australian adults reported often or always reading for leisure. These Australians have a significantly higher level of wellbeing and lower level of Negative emotion and Loneliness than people who don’t.

I read for leisure

I read for leisure



Wellbeing of Australian Adolescents

Overall wellbeing – comparisons with previous findingsMost Australian adolescents report a positive sense of wellbeing. The average EPOCH score (Overall Wellbeing) is 3.8 on a scale from one to five, with three-quarters of adolescents scoring 3.35 or higher, and one quarter scoring 4.3 and above on the wellbeing measure. Across the five domains of wellbeing, Australian adolescents rated most favourably on Connectedness.

Australian Adolescents EPOCH scores

11 Kern, M. L., Benson, L., Steinberg, E. A., & Steinberg, L. (2016). The EPOCH measure of adolescent well-being. Psychological Assessment, 28, 586-597. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/pas0000201

E P O C HEngagement Perseverance Optimism Connectedness Happiness


Overall satisfaction with life and future outlookAbout one in six Australian adolescents are unsatisfied with their lives (15%) and future outlook (16%). About one in four of Australians adolescents (26%) are highly satisfied with their lives and three in ten (29%) are highly satisfied with their future outlook.

As expected, life satisfaction and wellbeing are closely related – the more satisfied adolescents are with their lives the higher their wellbeing scores and vice versa.

Demographics factors and wellbeingGenderAustralians boys and girls scored similarly on the EPOCH measure of overall wellbeing except on Connectedness where girls scored significantly higher than boys.

AgeWellbeing scores on the EPOCH varied depending on the age of the respondent. In general, adolescents over 17 had significantly higher overall wellbeing and were more optimistic, reported more connections, and had higher levels of happiness than people under 14 years of age.



Adolescents and consumerism A third of Australian adolescents (30%) report that regularly acquiring valuable things such as expensive clothes, accessories, and other things makes them happy. These adolescents also reported significantly higher scores across multiple domains of wellbeing. One possible explanation for a relationship between consumerism and wellbeing in adolescents is that the activity of purchasing goods is a social activity that contributes to feelings of connectedness and belonging.

Acquiring valuable things make me happy



Key building blocks of wellbeing for adolescentsThis section presents findings on a range of behavioural and connectedness items for adolescents and their relationship with wellbeing as measured by the five domains in the EPOCH.

In adolescents, wellbeing is strongly associated with a sense of connectedness and belonging. People who do not feel connected to their communities fare worse on wellbeing measures.

Adolescents who embrace a strengths-based approach to life and engage in activities that broaden their world view also scored higher on wellbeing.

Lifestyle choices such as being active, getting a good night’s sleep, eating enough fruit and vegetables, engaging with relaxation and/or mindfulness activities and living in the moment are all related to higher scores on wellbeing for adolescents as for adults. Interestingly, regularly eating at fast food restaurants was related to overall wellbeing. This somewhat surprising result might reflect the importance of social connectedness (through eating out) to young people.

Taking notice and mindfulness practice

Taking notice Less than half Australian adolescents (47%) reported that they ‘Live in the moment’ (i.e. taking notice and being aware of your own thoughts/feelings and the world around you) almost every day or more often. About one in five adolescents (18%) say they live in the moment once a week or less. Adolescents who reported lower frequency of living in the moment also scored significantly lower across all domains of wellbeing as measured by the EPOCH.


Mindfulness practice Mindfulness is an important part of wellbeing not only for adults but also adolescents. Australians adolescents who often or always (36%) take the time to engage in relaxation or mindfulness activities (e.g. yoga, listening to music, meditation) also scored significantly higher on the wellbeing measures than people who do less of these activities.

I take time to engage in relaxation or mindfulness activities

Living in the moment



Close connectionsEchoing the patterns of adult population findings on connections, Australians adolescents who connect to other people (family, boy/girlfriend) or their peers every day also score high on wellbeing measures.

Close connectionsA majority of Australian adolescents (74%) often or always connect every day with their families, close friends and/or boy/girlfriend. Connection is significantly related to wellbeing. People who rarely connect or have the chance to do so, scored significantly lower across all domains on the EPOCH measure of wellbeing.

Peer connectionsResearch in human development has always suggested peer relationships are very important and influential relationships for adolescents. Peer groups allow adolescents to experiment with different experiences and identities as part of their process of becoming their own person. Peer groups also allow adolescents to build resources and develop skills necessary to understand and navigate the ever-evolving culture of their generation. This sense of shared meaning and social connectedness goes a long way in supporting their journey towards emerging adulthood.

In the survey, Australian adolescents regularly connected with peers, with more than three in five adolescents (63%) reporting they often or always do so. Adolescents who rarely or never do so reported significantly lower wellbeing scores across the board.

I connect with close ones every day



I take time to connect with my peers socially and informally



Community ConnectednessAustralian adolescents who are part of a local fitness or sports club, who are actively contributing to community, have a sense of community belonging or feel safe in their neighbourhood reported significantly higher wellbeing scores the respondents who reported lower levels of connection.

Group fitness participation Thirty-six per cent of Australian adolescents regularly participate as a member of a fitness group or sports club. Adolescents who are rarely or never involved in sporting clubs and gyms, scored significantly lower on Perseverance, Optimism, Happiness and overall wellbeing.

Feeling safe About 31% Australians adolescents reported that they don’t often feel safe in their neighbourhood. Adolescents who rarely or never feel safe scored significantly lower on wellbeing.

I participate as a member of a fitness group or sports club

I feel safe in my neighbourhood



Sense of belonging in communityLess than half Australian adolescents (45%) frequently feel a great sense of belonging to their community (e.g. school). Similar to adults, adolescents who don’t feel a sense of belonging to their community report significantly lower scores across all domains of wellbeing.

Community participationOne in five Australians adolescents (19%) reported that they often or always actively contribute to their community. These adolescents also reported significantly higher scores across all domains of wellbeing as measured by EPOCH.





Self-care activities: Health

Adequate sleep Despite the importance of sleep to wellbeing, only three in five (62%) Australians adolescents reported getting a good night sleep almost every day or more often. Almost one in ten Australians adolescents (9%) reported only getting a good night’s sleep once a week (or less). Poor sleepers score significantly lower across most domains on EPOCH while good sleepers have much higher wellbeing scores across the board.

Keeping active Under half of the Australian adolescents (43%) reported being active almost every day or more often. People who do so scored significantly higher on Engagement, Optimism, Connectedness and Happiness. People who are active only once a week or less (23%) scored significantly lower in their overall wellbeing.

Getting a good night’s sleep

Being active



Self-care activities: Diet

Fruit and vegetable intakeSimilar to the pattern of findings in adults, Australian adolescents are not eating adequate amounts of fruit and vegetables (5+ portions a day). One in five Australians adolescents (19%) reported eating enough fruit and vegetables only once a week or less. In general, adolescents who rarely ate adequate fruit and vegetables scored significantly lower on the wellbeing measures.

Getting adequate fruit and vegetables


Sugary drinks consumption One in five (19%) Australian adolescents consumed soft drinks almost every day or more. In general, sugary drink intake was not related to the measures of wellbeing.

Fast food consumptionDisturbingly, more than two in three Australians adolescents (69%) reported consuming food from a fast food restaurant at least once a week. Adolescents who consume food from fast food restaurants everyday reported significantly higher overall wellbeing and higher levels of Engagement and Perseverance. Although this result seems counterintuitive, it is possible that it reflects the social nature of this activity. That is, adolescents may be benefitting from the social aspect of going to fast food restaurants.


Other building blocks to wellbeingStrengths-based approach in life Similar to adults, adolescents who often or always report knowing their own strengths and using them to achieve their goals (52%) score significantly higher in wellbeing. While adolescents with high levels of wellbeing may find it easier to adopt a strengths-based approach, it is likely that knowing one’s own strengths and using them allows adolescents to see opportunities, hope and solutions when facing specific life challenges and achieving the goals they set for themselves.

I know my strengths and use them to achieve what I want



I seek new experiences that broaden my world view


Broadening one’s world viewAdolescents who strongly embrace their sense of curiosity for life and frequently engage with activities and hobbies that broaden their world view or perspectives on things reported higher wellbeing scores compared to people who do these activities less frequently. These activities include various hobbies, reading, travel and leisure activities. All contribute to learning something new for an individual.

Keep learning One in three Australians adolescents (36%) reported they often or always seek new experiences that broaden their world view. Adolescents with a broad world view, interest in travel and life adventures have higher wellbeing scores across all domains.


Reading Close to one in three Australian adolescents (31%) reported they often or always read for leisure. These adolescents also scored significantly higher on all domains of wellbeing.

I read for leisure


Having hobbies and leisure activities Forty-three per cent of Australian adolescents often spend time doing a hobby. Australian adolescents who do so reported significantly higher scores across all domains of wellbeing.

I spend time doing a hobby


AcknowledgementsAcknowledgement and thanks goes to the following people and organisations:

• Heather Gridley FAPS, Manager; Emma Sampson FAPS and Harriet Radermacher MAPS, Research and Policy Officers at the Public Interest team at APS for their valuable insights on community wellbeing.

• Kathy Racunica, Centre Manager and Grace Fiore at the Centre for Positive Psychology, MGSE, University of Melbourne for their ongoing support to the project team.

• Roy Morgan Research for assistance with data collection and analysis.

Project teamThe Compass for Life Survey was commissioned by the Australian Psychological Society and developed in collaboration with the Centre of Positive Psychology, University of Melbourne and Roy Morgan Research.

Corresponding author: Ms Rachel Liang [email protected]

Associate Professor Erica Frydenberg Hon FAPS Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne

Karen Coghlan Manager, Media and Communications, Australian Psychological Society

Pat Freeland-Small MAPS Executive Manager, Marketing, Communications and Events Australian Psychological Society

Rachel Liang MEdPsy MAPS Psychology Week Officer, Australian Psychological Society; Research Fellow, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne

Associate Professor Dianne Vella-Brodrick MAPS Deputy Director, Centre for Positive Psychology, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne

Associate Professor Lindsay G. Oades Director, Centre for Positive Psychology, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne

Dr Peggy Kern PhD Senior Lecturer, Centre for Positive Psychology, Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne

Australian Psychological Society Centre for Positive Psychology, University of Melbourne


Appendices12

Appendix A – Activities and Community Wellbeing

Frequency of behaviour/activities in relation to wellbeing: Adults vs. Adolescents

Base: Adults (Australians 18+; n=1000); Adolescents (Australians 13-17; n=518)Note: Answer scale from: Never/Less often than weekly, About once a week, A few times a week, Almost every day, Every day

Close connections

Base: Adults (Australians 18+; n=1000); Adolescents (Australians 13-17; n=518)Note: Answer scale from: Never true, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Always true

12 Note that figures cited throughout this report may not sum to 100% due to rounding and/or multiple response questions

Taking notice and regular mindfulness practice




Broadening ones’ world view



Self-care activities – Health and diet

Self-care activities – Soft drink and fast food

Base: Adults (Australians 18+; n=1000); Adolescents (Australians 13-17; n=518)Note: Answer scale from: Never/ Less often than weekly, About once a week, A few times a week, Almost every day, Every day

Base: Adults (Australians 18+; n=1000); Adolescents (Australians 13-17; n=518)Note: Answer scale from: Never/ Less often than weekly, About once a week, A few times a week, Almost every day, Every day


Strengths-based approach to life


Frequency of Activities – Adults-only items

Frequency of Activities: Adults-only items

Base: Australians 18+ (n=1000)Note: Answer scale from: Never/ Less often than weekly, About once a week, A few times a week, Almost every day, Every day


Appendix B – Social Media Engagement and Consumerism

Social Media Engagement

Base: Adults (Australians 18+; n=1000); Adolescents (Australians 13-17; n=518)

Consumerism



Appendix C – Life Satisfaction and Future Outlook

Life satisfaction

Future outlook satisfaction

Qs: Thinking about your own life and your personal circumstances, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole? (Rating scale 0 to 10 – completely dissatisfied to completely satisfied)

Qs: How satisfied are you with the outlook for your future? (Rating scale 0 to 10 – completely dissatisfied to completely satisfied)

Documents

APS Compass for Life Wellbeing Survey · There are many dicherent ways of thinking about ... valuable things was a sign of success or made them ... • The APS Compass for Life survey