Genuine Progress Index for Atlantic Canada Indice de progr

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Genuine Progress Index for Atlantic CanadaIndice
de progrès véritable - AtlantiqueMeasuring
CommunityWellbeing DevelopmentOffice of
Economic Development, Halifax, 4 June, 2003
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Community GPI is based on simple question
What kind of community are we leaving our
children?
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What kind of community are we leaving our
children?

• Translating measurement into experience and
  language of ordinary Nova Scotians
• Nova Scotias premier quality of life
• More possessions, longer lives
• But, some disturbing signs

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Uncertain Answers Better Off in a Poorer Natural
World?

• Natural resource depletion, species loss
• Less fish, condition of forests, soils
• Global warming
• Stress, obesity, asthma, environmental illness
• Insecurity, inequality, child poverty
• Decline of volunteerism

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The more the economy grows, the better off we
are - Sending the wrong message?

• Crime, sickness, pollution, resource depletion
  make economy grow
• GDP can grow even as poverty and inequality
  increase.
• More work hours make economy grow free time has
  no value.
• GDP ignores work that contributes directly to
  community health (volunteers, work in home).

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We Need Better Indicators of Progress and
Wellbeing. In the GPI

• Health, livelihood security, free time, unpaid
  work, natural resource, education have value
• Sickness, crime, disasters, pollution are costs
• Reductions in crime, poverty, greenhouse gas,
  ecological footprint are progress
• Growing equity signals progress

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Community GPI

• Initiative came from community groups. Many
  community partnerships include
• NS Citizens for Community Development Society
  community health boards, regional public health
  authorities, Cape Breton Wellness Centre,
  Atlantic Centre of Excellence for Womens Health
• CB regional police, Glace Bay Citizens Service
  League, Rotary Clubs, Kings and Cape Breton
  Community Economic Development Agencies

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Community-Government-University Partnerships

• Federal Canadian Population Health Initiative,
  National Crime Prevention Centre, HRDC, Canadian
  Rural Partnership, Rural Secretariat, Statistics
  Canada
• Dalhousie Univ. Population Health Research Unit
  St. Marys University Time Use Research Program
• University College of Cape Breton, Acadia U.

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Goals and Objectives

• Community vision, learn, mobilize, act
• Vision - community indicator selection
• Learning about ourselves
• Mobilize communities - common goals
• Turn new-found knowledge into action

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Research Goals

• Identifying strengths and weaknesses of 2 very
  different communities
• Community learning about itself, insights,
  understanding relationships among variables - eg
  volunteerism, time use and health
• Turning knowledge into action keeping track -
  measuring genuine progress

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Process as Result

• Indicator selection, creating survey
• Farmers exchanging information
• Report releases in Sheffield Mills, Jeddore -
  farmers, fishermen present
• New ideas e.g. restorative justice
• Results bring disparate groups together

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The Means

• 3,600 surveys - random, 15, confidential
• CI 95 /- 3 2 cross-tabulations
• Detailed 2 hrs Glace Bay 82 response
• Survey includes health, care-giving, time use,
  voluntary work, security, income employment,
  environmental issues
• Data entry cleaning, access guidelines

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Whats in the Glace Bay and Kings County GPI
Surveys?1) Demographics Employment

• Age, sex, household, marital, education, income
• Employment, unemployment, out of work
• Job characteristics - types of jobs (p-t, f-t,
  etc), benefits, work from home, occupation
• Work schedule, hours, shifts, job security,
  underemployment, job sharing - work reduction

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2) Health and Community

• Core values, caregiving, volunteer work,
  community service
• Stress, mental health, social supports,
  childrens health
• Weight, smoking, physical activity, screening
  (Pap, mammogram, blood pressure)
• Pain, disability, disease, medications, health
  care use

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3) Peace and Security

• Victimization and costs of crime
• Neighbourhood safety, fear, self-protection
• Opinions about police, courts, prisons
• Identify community problems - drinking? bullying?
  domestic violence? drugs? Etc.

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4) Time Use Diary

• Work Household work, paid work, voluntary work,
  caregiving, education
• How we spend free time - TV, reading,
  socializing, spiritual practice, sport, exercise
• Travel, personal activities, child care
• Window on quality of life

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5) Environment

• Energy use
• Transportation patterns
• Water quality
• Recycling and waste
• Food consumption - food diary and nutrition

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Community Action

• Community access to results - special software
  packages, news stories, etc.
• Meet to discuss results and identify policy
  priorities / actions
• Community prioritizes indicators for annual
  benchmarks of progress
• Community training - adaptations

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Emphasis on practical action - E.g

• Teenage smoking overweight exercise - e.g.
  promote school-based programs
• Screening rates - mammography, pap smears --
  notify health officials of needs
• Identify counselling needs - employment, domestic
  violence, mental health
• Education - nutrition, recycling, energy use

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New directions for the future

• New solutions e.g. work-life balance
• Model for other communities - template for
  adaptation - community / province
• Balance community-based research with
  methodological rigour, Statistics Canada
  oversight, advice, review
• Improve methods, indicators, survey tools, data
  sources - never a final product