Australia is losing its ‘smile’, and young people are the key – The Sydney Morning Herald

Report on the 2025 Australian Unity Wellbeing Index and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

A comprehensive analysis of the 2025 Australian Unity Wellbeing Index, a collaborative 25-year study by Australian Unity and Deakin University, reveals critical trends in the subjective wellbeing of Australians. The report, based on a survey of 10,000 individuals, provides detailed, electorate-level data that directly informs progress towards several key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Key Findings of the Wellbeing Index

Overall Wellbeing Trends

• Personal Wellbeing: Overall personal wellbeing, which includes satisfaction with health, relationships, and community, remained steady compared to the previous year.
• National Wellbeing: Satisfaction with national life, including the economy and governance, recorded an increase, potentially influenced by post-election optimism and interest rate adjustments.

Demographic and Geographic Disparities

The most significant findings highlight disparities across different demographics and locations, underscoring challenges related to SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

1. Youth Wellbeing Decline: The personal wellbeing of young Australians has notably decreased. This reverses the historical “U-shaped curve” of happiness, where youth and old age were peak periods. Wellbeing now appears to increase linearly with age.
2. Urban-Rural Divide: A stark contrast exists between urban and rural populations.
   • City dwellers reported lower satisfaction with personal relationships and community connectedness, impacting SDG 11’s goal for inclusive communities.
   • Conversely, residents of capital cities scored higher on national wellbeing metrics.

Wellbeing, Health, and Economic Measurement

• Link to Physical Health: The report reinforces the established connection between subjective wellbeing and positive health outcomes. New international research cited indicates that once a basic threshold of psychosocial and socio-economic stability is met, increased happiness correlates with a lower mortality risk from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), a core component of SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being).
• Beyond Economic Indicators: Experts advocate for the use of subjective wellbeing as a key metric for national progress, complementing traditional economic indicators like Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This aligns with a broader, more sustainable vision of development as outlined in SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

Implications for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The report’s findings are central to achieving SDG 3. The decline in youth wellbeing points to a growing mental health crisis that requires urgent policy intervention to meet Target 3.4 (promote mental health and well-being). The established link between happiness and reduced NCD mortality highlights the need for public health strategies that incorporate and promote subjective wellbeing.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities & SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

The data reveals significant internal disparities that challenge the ambitions of SDG 10 and SDG 11.

• The struggles of young people, burdened by housing costs, cost of living, and climate anxiety, represent a growing intergenerational inequality.
• The urban-rural gap in community connectedness and relationship satisfaction indicates that urban development may not be adequately fostering the social cohesion essential for sustainable communities (SDG 11).

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth & SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

The call to move beyond GDP as the sole measure of national success supports a more holistic interpretation of SDG 8. By integrating wellbeing metrics into governance, as initiated by frameworks like Australia’s Measuring What Matters, institutions can become more effective and responsive to citizen needs (SDG 16). The electorate-specific data provides a direct tool for local representatives to drive evidence-based policy and community-level change.

Conclusion and Recommendations

The 2025 Australian Unity Wellbeing Index serves as a critical tool for policymakers aiming to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. The data indicates that location, age, and socio-economic factors are powerful determinants of wellbeing. To foster a more sustainable and equitable society, the following actions are recommended:

1. Adopt Place-Based Policies: Utilise the electorate-level data to create targeted investments and interventions that address specific wellbeing deficits in communities, thereby advancing SDG 10 and SDG 11.
2. Prioritise Youth Mental Health: Implement robust policies to support the wellbeing of young people, addressing key stressors such as economic insecurity, housing affordability, and climate change, in direct support of SDG 3.
3. Embed Wellbeing in Governance: Formally integrate subjective wellbeing metrics into national and local decision-making processes, ensuring that economic policy and public health initiatives are aligned with the holistic goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article’s core theme is the measurement and analysis of personal and national wellbeing, its connection to mental and physical health, and the impact of chronic non-communicable diseases.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The report highlights significant disparities in wellbeing based on age (declining wellbeing among youth) and geographic location (urban vs. rural residents).
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The article discusses the stark divide in wellbeing between city-dwellers and those in rural areas, touching on issues like community connectedness and personal relationships, which are central to the quality of life in human settlements.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The article points to the role of government and policymakers in using wellbeing data to inform decision-making and create more effective policies that go beyond traditional economic indicators.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  • Target 3.4: By 2030, reduce by one third premature mortality from non-communicable diseases through prevention and treatment and promote mental health and well-being.
    
    Explanation: The article directly addresses this target by discussing how non-communicable diseases (NCDs) accounted for “90 per cent of all deaths” in Australia. It explores the link between subjective wellbeing and a “decrease in risk of death from NCDs.” Furthermore, it explicitly mentions Australia is “in the midst of a mental health epidemic,” directly referencing the promotion of mental health and well-being.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age… or other status.
    
    Explanation: The article identifies a clear inequality based on age, noting that while overall wellbeing rose, “young people were the exception.” It describes a global trend of a “crisis in wellbeing among the young,” who are under strain from housing costs and climate change, indicating a lack of social and economic inclusion for this demographic.

• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

  • Target 11.3: By 2030, enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated and sustainable human settlement planning and management in all countries.
    
    Explanation: The article highlights a significant divide between urban and rural areas, where “city-dwellers scored lower than their rural counterparts for satisfaction with personal relationships.” The lead researcher’s hope that the findings can “drive place-based investments to improve wellbeing” directly relates to improving planning and management of settlements to make them more inclusive and enhance wellbeing.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  • Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels.
    
    Explanation: The article advocates for a shift in governance, suggesting that wellbeing data should be used as a “road map for policymakers.” The call to “embed wellbeing into long-term decision-making at both the community, business and government level” and use it as a “complementary measure to Gross Domestic Product (GDP)” points to the development of more effective and accountable institutions that measure and prioritize citizen well-being.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• For Target 3.4 (Promote mental health and reduce NCD mortality)

  • Indicator 3.4.1 (Mortality rate from NCDs): The article explicitly provides data for this indicator, stating that chronic diseases “accounted for 90 per cent of all deaths” in Australia. The study mentioned also links happiness levels to the “NCD mortality rate.”
  • Implied Indicator (Subjective Wellbeing Score): The entire article is based on the “Australian Unity Wellbeing Index,” which measures “overall life satisfaction.” This index, along with the “Gallup World Poll’s annual life ladder index,” serves as a direct measure of the “well-being” component of the target.

• For Target 10.2 (Promote inclusion of all, irrespective of age)

  • Implied Indicator (Wellbeing scores disaggregated by age): The article’s analysis provides this data by showing that wellbeing for young people has dipped, while it “increases with age” for other groups. This disaggregation is a clear indicator used to measure inequality between age groups.

• For Target 11.3 (Enhance inclusive urbanization)

  • Implied Indicator (Discrepancy in wellbeing scores between urban and rural areas): The finding that “city-dwellers scored lower than their rural counterparts for satisfaction with personal relationships” and community connectedness acts as an indicator to measure the inclusivity and social sustainability of urban versus rural settlements.

• For Target 16.6 (Develop effective institutions)

  • Implied Indicator (Adoption of wellbeing frameworks in national policy): The article mentions Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ “Measuring What Matters wellbeing framework” as a positive step. The extent to which such frameworks are used alongside traditional economic markers like GDP can serve as an indicator of institutional effectiveness and transparency in prioritizing citizen welfare.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: smh.com.au