Measuring PERMA+ in South Australia, the State of Wellbeing: A comparison with national and international norms

Abstract

In 2012 Martin Seligman recommended that South Australia take a whole-state approach to measuring and building the wellbeing of its citizens; to become the State of Wellbeing. This recommendation inspired many actions across South Australia, including the establishment of the SAHMRI Wellbeing and Resilience Centre, and substantial efforts in the education system, organizations, and government policy. This study compares the wellbeing of a large South Australian sample to samples from Australia and New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and a Global sample. Findings indicated that South Australian levels of wellbeing were higher than all other samples, with substantially higher scores for the components of Relationships, Positive Emotion, and Meaning. In addition, wellbeing was not associated with age or level of disadvantage. This study presenting South Australian norms suggests encouraging results from a systematic effort in South Australia to become the State of Wellbeing.