Publication
Public Conversation - Well-being Framework
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of the Taoiseach
Published on
Last updated on
An initial consultation on a Well-being Framework for Ireland was carried out by the National Economic and Social Council (NESC) in 2021. This fed into the development of the Framework in the First Report.
A Public Conversation was then launched in late October 2021 to gain insight, receive feedback and test the Framework with a wider group of stakeholders, including the broader public, and to explore specific issues that were raised in the initial consultation.
This Public Conversation was designed to be as inclusive and wide-ranging as possible. It centred on:
• a comprehensive communications campaign;
• online stakeholder event;
• online survey;
• thematic workshops; and
• focused meetings and presentations to specific groups and audiences.
The online stakeholder event held in November 2021, with approximately 100 attendees, included a broad spectrum of voices and provided wide-ranging inputs on the Framework and its potential uses. This event also included a roundtable with diverse participants who shared their practical experiences and expertise. Click here for a detailed note of this event
Over the consultation period, there were also thematic workshops and engagements with experts and specific groups.
• Three workshops were held to focus on areas committed to in the First Report, especially: an examination of the linkages between national and local approaches with the Public Participation Networks (PPN); and a focused consultation with two different age cohorts (12-18yrs and 18-24yrs) of young people.
• Work on the initiative was presented at a Parliamentary Budgetary Office seminar, an EU/OECD conference "Building on the Economy of Wellbeing: How to promote a resilient and sustainable recovery in Europe?” and to the IGEES network as part of a Strategic Policy Discussion.
• Information gathering meetings were held including with the UK Carnegie Trust and the OECD.
In addition, an online survey designed primarily with the aim of gathering the thoughts of the general public on what is important for a good quality of life received 734 submissions.
The central purpose of this phase of consultation was to test the Vision and Framework as laid out in the First Report.
The overarching vision for the Framework, as laid out in the First Report, is enabling all our people to live fulfilled lives now and into the future. The vision and goals were discussed explicitly at the Stakeholder Event, the PPN Workshop and in the online survey.
The survey showed 96% support for the vision and goals from survey responses. 130 survey respondents provided optional feedback on the vision, highlighting the importance of equality, inclusion, health, the environment, housing and ability. The strong focus on equality and inclusion echoes the findings of the initial consultation carried out by NESC and reiterates their centrality to the well-being initiative. The contributions of the PPNs also demonstrated strong support for the vision and goals, in particular emphasising the importance of sustainability and inter-generational equality.
The survey found that the most important area of focus for the Framework was deemed to be a better overall quality of life for all (46%), followed by sustainability for future generations (21%).
The most important use, according to survey respondents, was policy and programme development (ranked first), agenda-setting (ranked second) and budgeting (ranked third).
Overall the public conversation showed that the Framework was comprehensive and the vast majority of the issues raised were included in the initial Conceptual Framework. The areas of health (both physical and mental), knowledge and skills, housing, social connections and community, and civic engagement and cultural expression/identity were highlighted across all elements of the consultation as particularly important. Cross-cutting issues around equality, disability and technology were also emphasised.
This phase of consultation also revealed some areas that were missing from the initial version, or areas that were included but not sufficiently emphasised or articulated, for example, infrastructure (in particular public transport), creative life, trust in institutions and childcare.
The full conceptual framework has been refined in light of these findings, with particular attention to including or further emphasising areas that have been highlighted as priorities through the public conversation.
The First Report also committed to exploring cultural expression (i.e. identity) and cultural participation, and how these aspects support national well-being, mainly due to a conflation of these areas. The online survey included two questions related to culture for this reason. The results showed that 57% of respondents felt that culture (as they understood it) related to freedom to express culture and identity, while 23% felt it related to participating in cultural activities. The definition of culture as it relates to well-being was therefore generally closer to expression of identity, with a strong minority that highlighted the importance of cultural participation, and the Framework’s refinement reflects this.
For more information see the Second Report .