Quality of life

Why is this important?

Quality of life is a subjective measure of satisfaction. People's satisfaction with their overall quality of life provides a self-assessed measure of wellbeing. How people feel about their life is an important measure of the health of our communities.

Key points

• Just over eight in ten (82%) greater Christchurch residents rate their quality of life positively (24% rate it as extremely good while 58% rate it as good). The proportion rating their quality of life positively has remained stable since April 2016, following a significant increase in the six months before that (from 77%) in September 2015.
• Four per cent indicate that their quality of life is poor (extremely poor or poor) which is a slight decline over previous surveys.

 

Note this is an interactive chart and you can click on the legend items to change what is shown on the graph.

Commentary

Eighty-six percent of those living in Selwyn and Waimakariri Districts rate their quality of life positively. For those living in Selwyn District, this is a decrease from September 2016. For those living in Waimakariri District, ratings have been stable since April 2015.

Christchurch City residents continue to rate their quality of life less positively than residents of Selwyn and Waimakariri Districts, (81% rating it as good or extremely good), although this has been steady since April 2016.

Those more likely to rate their overall quality of life positively (82%) are:

• Those who rate their health as very good or excellent (95%)
• Those who rarely or never feel isolated (91%)
• From a household with an income of more than $100,000 (93%) or between $60,001 and $100,000 (87%).

Those less likely to rate their overall quality of life positively (82%) are:

• People who feel lonely and isolated most of the time or always (37%) or sometimes (72%)
• Those who rate their health as poor or fair (47%)
• Living with a health condition or disability (59%)
• From a household with an income of less than $30,000 (64%)
• Living in temporary housing (67%)
• Of Pacific, Asian, or Indian ethnicity (69%) or of Māori ethnicity (77%)
• Renting the dwelling they usually live in (70%)
• Those aged 50 to 54 years (75%).

Respondents were asked for the first time in June 2017 the reasons for their quality of life rating. Common themes included health status, financial wellbeing, the strength of family and other personal relationships, housing status, employment status, hobbies and leisure activities, and access to the natural environment. For one in eight of those who rated their quality of life negatively, the earthquake impacts were reported as a substantial contributor.

Note: this commentary is adapted from the Canterbury Health and Wellbeing survey 2017. Reproduced with permission.