Abstract

      Like our monographs on the well-being of Canada's young adults, #6, and seniors, #7, this study presents an integrated set of indicators on well-being in the three major domains of life - personal well-being, community or altruistic well-being, and religious or spiritual well-being - in order to produce an overall measure of well-being. Each of the four well-being indices - personal, community, spiritual and overall -- has a potential maximum of 100 and minimum of 0. If you claimed to be very satisfied with your life in general, not concerned at all about money in the future, volunteered 60 or more hours a year, donated $350 in 2000, attended religious services at least weekly, and considered yourself to be very religious, then all of your well-being indices would equal 100.

      The overall well-being index is 45 for the employed, the same as for all adults aged 15 and over -- it is 50 for all 41 for young adults aged 15 to 34, and 45 for the all adults aged 15 plus. The index ranges from 39 in British Columbia and 41 in Quebec, to 53 in Prince Edward Island, and 51 in Newfoundland. The highest male-female difference appears in British Columbia where the index for women is 43 and 36 for men.

      The index rises with age, from 39 for the 15 to 24 age group, to 51 for the employed 65 years of age and over. Considering marital status, the index is highest for the married and widows/widowers who are employed, 48 to 49, and lowest for the for the common-law population, 37. The index is higher for those who say their health is "very good", 47, compared with others, 42. The index rises sharply with household income, personal income, earnings per hour, and education. The index is relatively high, over 60, for all types of volunteers, especially volunteers in religious organizations, 75, and religious and secular organizations, 89, and a relatively low 39 for non-volunteers, and those who do not donate to charity, 32.

      Regarding religious affiliation, the index is lowest for those without ever having a religious affiliation, 33, and higher for those without an affiliation at the time of the survey, 42; Quebec Catholics, also 42; Anglicans, United Church affiliates and non-Christians, 49 to 52; Presbyterians and Lutherans, 55 to 57; and the conservative faith communities: Baptists, 59, Pentecostals, 67, and smaller Christian faiths, 61. Gender differences by faith community are insignificant except among non-Christians, where the index of women is higher than that for men.

      Concerning job characteristics, there are few big differences in well-being except for the above-noted variations by income. Those in the education sector have relatively high well-being, 55, along with those in social science and cultural occupations, 54. Well-being increases with the length of job tenure, and tends to be higher, the larger the establishment or place of work, but shows no clear correlation with hours worked per week. The index is higher for public sector employees, 51, than private, 43; it is 47 for the self-employed.

      Detailed tables supplemented by summary charts are presented showing the component indicators, personal, altruistic and spiritual well-being indices, and the overall well-being index (Table 16), for many sub-populations of employed women and men. Regression results for each of the six component indicators, are presented in appendices. Both the concept and measures of well-being proposed in this study are very approximate. Some guidelines for the conduct of employed people by Jeremy Taylor, 1650, are summarized in an Appendix, along with some more recent prayers in a concluding Appendix.