Australian Unity Wellbeing Index Survey #2

Nine out of 10 Australians were saddened by the US terrorist attacks on the United States on September 11, with the great majority rating their distress at a very high level. At the same time, Australians recorded a significant rise in both personal and national life satisfaction.

These are among the key findings of the second Australian Unity Wellbeing Index survey, conducted in late September 2001. The Index is based on surveys of a random sample about 2,000 adult Australians, covering all States and Territories, and both metropolitan and rural residents.

The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index comprises two main values: a Personal Wellbeing Index, which is the average level of satisfaction across seven aspects of personal life; and a National Wellbeing Index, the average level of satisfaction across six aspects of national life (increased from three in the first survey). The wellbeing surveys also include two general questions about satisfaction with personal life and life in Australia overall, and two trend questions on whether personal life and national life are getting better or worse.

The surveys contain questions about more specific issues, which can vary from survey to survey. The second survey included additional questions about the impact of the US terrorist attacks on Australians.