Abstract
In this paper we will present lessons learned and examples of empirical findings from an app-based survey in the City of Wuppertal, Germany. The app consists of several complementing modules that look into the individual well-being and community wellbeing of the citizens of Wuppertal. Within 12 months the central questionnaire has been answered 1799 times in full by different individuals. The app is very well known within the city due to partnerships with local enterprises and media. Some first steps towards using the app in decision making have been taken and will be extended. The experience shows great potential of such an approach both for research and new forms of participation but also some challenges in consistently motivating citizens to participate. The results of the survey confirmed some known factors influencing happiness but also showed some interesting patterns relevant both to local decision making and further research.
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Notes
There are conflicting views on the relationship between broader sets of well-being indicators and happiness. Some see the dimensions of well-being (health, education, etc.) mainly in their contribution to happiness and try to measure that contribution (Veenhoven 2010; Stiglitz et al. 2009:145–151), while work based on the capability approach considers the capabilities as their own ends (Stiglitz et al. 2009: 151–153).
In practical applications, subjective well-being is sometimes included as one of several indicators (e.g. in the Better Live Index, OECD 2013a, b), sometimes considered the outcome of the factors measured (Santa Monica Well-Being, as described in OECD 2017). However, Veenhoven (2010) finds that both a focus on capabilities and one on happiness lead to similar policy prescriptions.
Noise maps are available at geoportal.wuppertal.de
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Acknowledgements
The work presented in this paper was supported and partly funded by the Forschungsinstitut für Gesellschaftliche Weiterentwicklung, the Stadtsparkasse Wuppertal and the Wuppertaler Stadtwerke. We would like to thank two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions. Both Prof. Uwe Schneidewind and Anna Lohmann provided significant input into the underlying project.
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Haake, H., Ludwigs, K. Happy Wuppertal – Measuring Individual and Community Well-Being on the Urban Scale. Int. Journal of Com. WB 2, 155–176 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42413-019-00025-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42413-019-00025-x