Read our summary
It explains what we did, key findings and provides a picture of older people's wellbeing across the whole population.
Our Index is a new way to measure wellbeing in later life, using rich data sources and state-of-the-art statistical techniques.
It explains what we did, key findings and provides a picture of older people's wellbeing across the whole population.
On this page we answer:
The Index of Wellbeing in Later Life allows us, for the first time, to measure:
Beneath the aggregate measure there are tiers such as domains and individual indicators with different weightings to signify their importance.
We listed 200+ possible wellbeing indicators from our literature review and discussion with experts. We then looked for a data source that would cover most of these, have a large sample size, and be as representative of older people in the UK as possible. The Understanding Society (USoc) survey seemed to fit these requirements the best.
We then:
These reports provide more information about our approach to creating the Index.
Our report explores how creative and cultural participation affects our wellbeing in later life.
The Index provides new and authoritative information about what matters for a good later life and we hope it will help all of us to get closer to achieving it, whoever we are and whatever our circumstances may be.
The Index can be used to start conversations about what is needed at local and national levels to help older people achieve a good amount of wellbeing.
This person-centered and quantitative intelligence supports and poses a challenge for Government, policymakers and service practitioners.
The Wellbeing Index points out people who are at greater risk of low wellbeing:
Contact our Research team for more information about our wellbeing research.
Read about Age UK's latest publicly available research and policy information in our monthly email.