SOCIAL MONITOR

The SIL Research SOCIAL MONITOR informs Council policies and initiatives to enhance the social well-being of their local communities. The research measures residents’ perceptions of social well-being arising from life experiences in the area.

Typically, fieldwork is completed as a snapshot in time at approximately the same time each year, although a biannual, triannual or quarterly tracking approach can also be used to collect data to offset any seasonal variations.

This project differs from annual resident surveys, as it more closely focuses on community well-being and quality of life in the city, district, area or region.

Topics covered in the SOCIAL MONITOR include the following:

• Overall quality of life (including the impact of Covid-19)

• Sense of safety in the community

• Community acceptance and tolerance

• Health and community mental wellbeing 

• Social connections and neighbourhood cohesion

• Diversity

• Accessibility

• Emergency management

• Climate change perceptions.

 

Results from various sections of this survey are used to derive a ‘Social Index’ of social well-being for year-on-year comparison and tracking.

Also, a Mental Wellbeing Index - a measure of indicative psychological distress-is also used to compare and track year-on-year results.
A sample of a recent report can be viewed here:

As each community, city, district, area or region varies significantly throughout the country, so too can the SOCIAL MONITOR be modified and adapted to meet the reporting and measurement needs for local councils.