Hunter residents have scored an average 4 out of 5 for wellbeing, as findings from the latest edition of the Hunter Valley Research Foundation (HVRF) are released.
This is the fourth time the HVRF has released the ‘Wellbeing Watch: A monitor of health, wealth and happiness‘. The publication collects regionally-based information on whether people can afford their day-to-day needs, if they feel a part of their local community and are engaging in healthy behaviours.
Wellbeing in the Hunter Region remained high overall, with just 7% of residents reporting a low score of 3.3 or below.
Traffic continues to be a problem for, with 36% of respondents negatively affected. However those that stay in school have a greater chance of achieving overall wellbeing with 58% of those who have graduated from year 12, reporting level increases.
Satisfaction Stats
– Low wellbeing is consistently associated with dependence on welfare, being unemployed or having low levels of accessible income; 30% of respondents experience shortage of money to meet everyday needs.
– Those paying board had significantly lower wellbeing scores than those who owned their own home or with a mortgage; 80% of people agreed they could afford a reasonable standard of living in their area.
– People living in a family unit, with a support network reported higher levels of satisfaction than those living alone or lacking support; 98% had people they could talk to about their problems.
– Neighbourhood satisfaction is intrinsically linked to wellbeing; 89% of Hunter residents are satisfied with their neighbourhood.
– Health is a big factor for people’s wellbeing; 80% of residents said their health was excellent and 21% said their health was better than 12 months prior.
