Child Subjective Well-being

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About

A child's subjective perspective of well-being is not considered an important dimension by all researchers. However, as for subjective well-being measures, individuals' and thus also children's perception of their life can provide information on some domains that are not easily measurable through social indicator based approaches, e.g. quality of relationships with friends and family. Child development research has identified these domains as being especially crucial for children. ^[1]  This is also a reason why measuring child well-being differs in dimensions from the measurement of adults' well-being. An additional factor which distinguishes it from measuring adults' well-being is the prerequisite of a certain cognitive development and a frame of reference for what constitutes a "good" or "bad" life, as well as the development of an adequate questioning methodology (see below).^[2]

The subjective well-being can be a precursor to other issues and problems in people's lives. Thus, current subjective well-being of children can affect their subjective well-being in adulthood.^[3]

Subjective indicators are essential to assess the effectiveness of policies for children and youth. For instance, the benefits of preventative service and policy initiatives is difficult to determine without capturing children and young people's own perspective. Preventative services are most likely to deliver a return on investment over the long term but are often poorly valued in the present. ^[4]

Reliability of children's sense of well-being

The use of subjective indicators with children has been considered by some as problematic, for two main reasons.

First, it is assumed that adults know better than children. Adults have all lived through childhood, they have first-hand knowledge of what childhood is like and how views and preferences expressed by children can change in adulthood. However, society has changed and the experiences of today's children during childhood can be radically different to those of their predecessors. The view that children do not know anything about their well-being is quite paternalistic. It is however clear that subjective reports are always connected to individual frames of reference, circumstances and experiences. Reflecting on those factors rather taking them at face value is essential to analysis.^[5]

Second, there is concern that children are not able to report reliably on their inner feelings. Research has shown that school-aged children are capable of introspection from age 7 or 8 onwards.^[6] [7] Clearly and unlike the measurement of adult's well-being, some particular challenges are related to the measurement of a child's subjective well-being. One prerequisite is the certain degree of cognitive development and a frame of reference for what a "good" or "bad" life is. Further challenges are shortened attention spans, linguistic problems of understanding, a lack of reading or writing skills as well as the desire of children to give the "right" answer. It is therefore essential that the methodology (face-to-face interview, focus group, written questionnaire) and the type of measurement instrument (numberic scales, smileys, open questions) are chosen according to the age group.^[8]

Two instruments used in child subjective well-being measurement.^[9]

Indices of Subjective Well-being

Child Development Index

The following ten domains of well-being were used in the 2010 United Kingdom study of The Children's Society that explores dimensions of well-being relevant and important to British children and adolescents aged 8 to 15.

• Family
• Health
• Appearance
• Time use
• The future
• Friends
• Home
• Money and possessions
• School
• Choice

The domains of 'safety' and 'local area' were initially included but data exploration suggested that their power of explanation is not significant. The Child Development Index also measured overall subjective well-being and explored the relative importance of the different dimensions for overall well-being. Overall the domains explained over half (52%) of the variation in overall well-being. Further analysis indicated that six domains - choice, family, appearance, money/possessions, time use and health explained just over half of the variation.^[10] The 2010 study proposed an index with a multi-item measure of overall life satisfaction and single-item measures of well-being in ten domains.

New Philantrophy Capital - impact evaluation tool for charity sector

The following core aspects are covered by the questionnaire for use with 11-16 year-olds:

• Self-esteem
• Resilience
• Emotional well-being
• Peer relationships
• Family relationships
• Satisfaction with school environment
• Satisfaction with local community environment

The report is available for free but registration is necessary.

Indicators of Subjective Well-being

Subjective indicators of child well-being are survey-based. Methodologies for framing questions and asking for agreement and disagreement with statements on point scales have been developed to get answers that measure the relevant concept. For each new domain and topic, the exploration of the exact way of asking has to be explored. 

UNICEF Child-Wellbeing measure

The dimension of subjective well-being is measured by the following indicators in the UNICEF Child-Wellbeing measure.

• Health
  • Young people rating their own health only 'fair' or 'poor'
• School life
  • Young people 'liking school a lot'
• Personal well-being
  • Children rating themselves above the mid-point of a 'Life Satisfaction Scale'
  • Children reporting negatively about personal well-being
    

See also

Child Development Index
Subjective Well-being
Child well-being
Child Material well-being
Child Health and safety
Child Family and peer relationships
Child Behaviour and risks
Child Educational well-being
UNICEF Child-Wellbeing measure
Human Well-Being
Gallup Student Poll

References

1. ↑ The Children's Society (2010), "Developing an index of children's subjective well-being in England", London, October. Available at: http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/tcs/research_docs/Developing%20an%20Index%20of%20Children%27s%20Subjective%20Well-being%20in%20England.pdf
2. ↑ Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (2009), “Wissenschaftliche Bestandesaufnahme der Forschung zu “Wohlbefinden von Eltern und Kindern”, Monitor Familienforschung, Beiträge aus Forschung, Statistik und Familienpolitik, 19, Berlin, September .Available at (in German language): http://www.bmfsfj.de/RedaktionBMFSFJ/Broschuerenstelle/Pdf-Anlagen/Monitor-Familienforschung-Ausgabe-19,property=pdf,bereich=bmfsfj,sprache=de,rwb=true.pdf
3. ↑ The Children's Society (2010), "Developing an index of children's subjective well-being in England", London, October. Available at: http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/tcs/research_docs/Developing%20an%20Index%20of%20Children%27s%20Subjective%20Well-being%20in%20England.pdf
4. ↑ The Children's Society (2010), "Developing an index of children's subjective well-being in England", London, October. Available at: http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/tcs/research_docs/Developing%20an%20Index%20of%20Children%27s%20Subjective%20Well-being%20in%20England.pdf
5. ↑ New Economics Foundation (2009), “A guide to measuring children’s well-being. Backing the Future: Practical Guide 2”, London, 16 September. Available at: http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/media/94477/action_for_children_a_guide_to_measuring_childrens_well_being.pdf
6. ↑ New Economics Foundation (2009), “A guide to measuring children’s well-being. Backing the Future: Practical Guide 2”, London, 16 September. Available at: http://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/media/94477/action_for_children_a_guide_to_measuring_childrens_well_being.pdf
7. ↑ Huebner, E. S. (2004), “Research on Assessment of Life Satisfaction in Children and Adolescents”, Social Indicators Research, Jg. 66, S. 3–33. Available at: http://www.springerlink.com/content/m8701x44w3846324/
8. ↑ Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (2009), “Wissenschaftliche Bestandesaufnahme der Forschung zu “Wohlbefinden von Eltern und Kindern”, Monitor Familienforschung, Beiträge aus Forschung, Statistik und Familienpolitik, 19, Berlin, September .Available at (in German language): http://www.bmfsfj.de/RedaktionBMFSFJ/Broschuerenstelle/Pdf-Anlagen/Monitor-Familienforschung-Ausgabe-19,property=pdf,bereich=bmfsfj,sprache=de,rwb=true.pdf
9. ↑ Bundesministerium für Familie, Senioren, Frauen und Jugend (2009), “Wissenschaftliche Bestandesaufnahme der Forschung zu “Wohlbefinden von Eltern und Kindern”, Monitor Familienforschung, Beiträge aus Forschung, Statistik und Familienpolitik, 19, Berlin, September. P.27. Available at (in German language): http://www.bmfsfj.de/RedaktionBMFSFJ/Broschuerenstelle/Pdf-Anlagen/Monitor-Familienforschung-Ausgabe-19,property=pdf,bereich=bmfsfj,sprache=de,rwb=true.pdf
10. ↑ The Children's Society (2010), "Developing an index of children's subjective well-being in England", London, October. Available at: http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/tcs/research_docs/Developing%20an%20Index%20of%20Children%27s%20Subjective%20Well-being%20in%20England.pdf

External Links

Link collection on Child Research Methodology and Ethics on Childwatch International Research Network