A new tool called the Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) has been launched to better understand levels of wellbeing and quality of life in Canada. The tool is designed to look at factors beyond economic measures, such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP), that contribute to wellbeing.
The CIW assesses how Canadians are doing in eight different areas, known as “domains of wellbeing”:
- Living standards
- Community vitality
- Democratic engagement
- Education
- Healthy populations
- Environment
- Time use
- Leisure and culture
For each domain, the CIW identifies a number of indicators against which progress is measured.
The CIW is supported by the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Network at the University of Waterloo. The Network is an independent non-partisan group within the University’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences and is advised by Canadian and international experts.
For more information and to access the Canadian Index of Wellbeing, visit the project website at ciw.ca.