Wellbeing General
What is “human wellbeing”?
The quality of life people experience and their ability to access what they need to live happy, healthy, fulfilling lives.
What is an “indicator”?
A measurement used to assess a specific aspect of wellbeing or development.
What does the Happy Planet Index measure?
How efficiently countries turn resources into long, happy, and sustainable lives.
Name one environmental factor that affects wellbeing.
Climate, drought, or flood affecting food security.
What is meant by “spatial variation of wellbeing”?
Differences in wellbeing between places due to multiple factors.
What is “development”?
The process of improving people’s wellbeing through economic growth, education, healthcare, and equality.
What three factors make up the HDI?
Life expectancy, education (years of schooling), and income (GNI per capita).
Name the three components of the HPI.
Life expectancy, experienced wellbeing, and ecological footprint.
Give one political and one historical factor that can reduce wellbeing.
Political – corruption or conflict; Historical – colonisation or past war.
Which regions of the world generally have the highest wellbeing?
Europe and North America.
Give two examples of high wellbeing indicators.
High literacy rate, long life expectancy, low infant mortality, good access to healthcare.
Give one social, one economic, and one environmental indicator of wellbeing.
Social – literacy rate; Economic – GDP per capita; Environmental – access to clean water.
Define GDP and GDP per capita.
GDP = total value of goods and services; GDP per capita = GDP ÷ population.
How can social or cultural factors influence wellbeing?
Gender inequality or limited education restrict opportunities.
Describe the typical relationship between GDP and life expectancy.
Positive correlation – as GDP increases, life expectancy also increases.
Explain one reason why wellbeing varies between regions.
Differences in wealth, resources, education, and political stability affect wellbeing levels.
Why is HDI a better measure than GDP alone?
It includes social and educational dimensions, not just income, giving a fuller picture of wellbeing.
Why can GDP per capita be misleading when measuring wellbeing?
It shows average wealth but not inequality, access, or quality of life.
Give one technological factor that improves wellbeing and explain how.
Internet access – improves communication, education, and employment opportunities.
Explain why urban areas often have higher wellbeing than rural areas.
Cities have better access to education, healthcare, services, and infrastructure.
Explain the difference between absolute and relative poverty, and give an example of each.
Absolute poverty = not having enough income to meet basic needs (e.g. food, shelter, water). Relative poverty = having less income than others in the same society (e.g. low-income households in Australia).
Compare the strengths and weaknesses of using quantitative vs qualitative indicators to measure wellbeing.
Quantitative data (like GDP) is measurable and easy to compare but doesn’t capture feelings or quality of life. Qualitative data (like surveys on happiness) gives insight into personal wellbeing but is harder to compare across countries.
Explain why a country with high GDP per capita might still have low human wellbeing.
Wealth may be concentrated among a small group, with limited access to healthcare, education, or equality — meaning wellbeing is not shared by all citizens.
Explain how two of the following factors might interact to influence wellbeing: political, environmental, or technological.
Example: Poor political leadership may limit investment in technology, reducing access to clean energy and worsening environmental conditions, which lowers wellbeing.
Using a world map of HDI, describe the global pattern of wellbeing and identify one exception to the general trend.
HDI is highest in Europe and North America, and lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of South Asia. Exception: Some countries like Cuba or Costa Rica have high wellbeing despite lower GDPs.