Study reveals what makes Kiwis awesome
The 2015 Sovereign Wellbeing Index has revealed new insights into New Zealanders’ wellbeing.
The latest results, released this week, show Kiwis aged 55+ were more likely to be “awesome” (enjoying extremely high levels of wellbeing) than those under 35 years of age.
According to Professor Grant Schofield who led the study, the project aims to help New Zealanders live well and experience quality of life right to the end. “I’d like to see people live long and drop dead, however the current reality is most of us will suffer around 12 years of disability.”
“This research is about unravelling what makes people well and what helps people to flourish – in other words what produces awesomeness,” he says.
10,000 New Zealanders were surveyed as part of the project, which was carried out by AUT University’s Human Potential Centre in partnership with Sovereign. It is the first survey of its kind, designed specifically to measure the wellbeing of New Zealanders.
The research showed that having positive relationships and living in supportive communities were important to wellbeing. Other factors associated with higher rates of wellbeing included income and the ability to live comfortably on your earnings; using your strengths and being satisfied in your job; and health status and lifestyle – including sleeping well, eating well and exercising.
According to Dr Aaron Jarden, a Senior Lecturer in Psychology and central member of the research team, “Improving our wellbeing isn’t easy; it takes hard work over a period of time, but it is possible to improve our quality of life. This research gives us some useful insights into how."
To see the full 2015 Sovereign Wellbeing Index report, and to take the quiz on your own wellbeing, visit mywellbeing.co.nz.