Measuring the Impact of Research on Well-being: A Survey of Indicators of Well-being

The main objective of this report is to conduct a survey and assessment of various indicators used by organizations, both in Canada and abroad, to measure attributes and the well-being of society at the economic, health, environmental, social, and cultural levels. The compilation includes a combination of quantitative and qualitative and objective and subjective indicators or measures. The report is divided into five major parts. The first part provides a brief overview of Canada's research effort. The second part, by far the longest section, surveys a large number of sets of indicators and composite measures that have been developed to quantify well-being in Canada, in the United States, in OECD countries, and at the international level. The third section develops a preliminary framework for measuring the impact of research on well-being. The fourth section discusses briefly the role of indicators in public policy initiatives to improve the well-being of Canadians. The fifth and final section outlines directions for further work. The report concludes that it is entirely feasible to assess the impact of research investments in Canada on various dimensions of well-being. But it is important to specify what particular research investments and what dimensions of well-being are of interest given the many types of research investments and well-being dimensions as well as the complex interrelationships between research and well-being.