Well-being up in Canterbury - but young people still lonely

The well-being of Cantabrians is on the rise but young people are still the most lonely, a new survey shows.

The Canterbury Wellbeing Index was released on Wednesday by the Canterbury District Health Board. It uses data from different agencies to bring together information about people's well-being in Christchurch, as well as the Selwyn and Waimakariri districts.

Greater Christchurch Psychosocial Governance Group chairwoman Evon Currie said the quality of life ratings have reached the highest level ever since the survey started, with about 86 per cent of residents rating their quality of life positively.

“Greater Christchurch is going from strength to strength, with new developments helping contribute to a real sense of vibrancy," she said. 

"This, combined with the fact far fewer of us are still battling insurance and other earthquake-related stressors, is contributing to overall improvements in wellbeing."

However, although quality of life in Christchurch has risen the most since the first Canterbury well-being survey in 2012 (up 15 per cent), there has been little variation across the region, with 89 per cent of Selwyn residents and 87 per cent of Waimakariri residents rating their quality of life positively in 2019.

Loneliness continues to be a significant issue for young people in Canterbury, with 15 per cent of 18-24-year-olds reporting they feel lonely or isolated always or most of the time in 2019.

This figure is significantly higher than six per cent for the overall adult population. The 65-74 age group has the lowest proportion of lonely people with less than two per cent.

The 18-24 age group also has the highest proportion (16 per cent) of people who find it hard or very hard to talk to someone when they are feeling down.

“It is apparent that we need to explore ways in which we can address loneliness among young people," Ms Currie said. 

"Are we doing enough for our young people? This is a key question our community and our policy-makers need to keep asking.

“Someone who is lonely, and who doesn’t feel there is anyone they can talk to, is vulnerable.

"As a society we all need to step up and ensure we are there for each other and no one falls through the cracks."

The Canterbury Wellbeing Index contains 57 indicators across a range of areas, including education, housing, health and employment, and has a separate section focusing on 19 Māori well-being indicators. The interactive Index website enables users to easily extract the information they are interested in.

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