At the heart of the Dudley Borough Challenge, the Community Strategy for Dudley Borough, is the vision for Stronger Communities – in which people are happy.

 

Dosti has been finding out how happy the people of Dudley Borough are, and looking for ideas for what might make people happier. We have been talking to people outside Dudley who are thinking seriously about people's happiness, or wellbeing.

 

We also commissioned wome work in Dudley. 2000 residents of Dudley Borough took part in a telephone survey to find out how happy they are. The survey asks 5 simple questions, which consider how happy you are with various aspects of you life, such as work and family life. 14 people who took part in the survey also participated in one of two focus groups, to explore the ideas about happiness a bit further.

 

On 19 April 2007 Dosti hosted an event called How Happy are the People of Dudley Borough?. A report from the event is available from our downloads page.

 

Over 50 people attended the event, and heard that our research shows that people in Dudley Borough are very happy! However, As Tony Stone (a Dosti Executive member) explained, some people are happier than others. For example those in work are happier than those who are not working. Also people in Dudley are more likely to be very satisfied with their family life and job than with their community.

 

Atendees also heard from Karen Scott, a PhD reseracher working with Blyth Valley Council in Northumberland. Through discussions with a range of people, she has identified seven strands to our wellbeing. These are:

 

 

See the event report for more information.