ABSTRACT

Chapter 1 focuses on the world of the child, exploring children’s experiences of well-being. It presents pioneering work undertaken by The Children’s Society and the New Economics Foundation, detailing the results of a comprehensive child-centric research study. Taking this approach, it addresses the real world of the child, their everyday activities and expectations, exploring child related activities and their links with children’s subjective well-being, thus to identify key “child defined” well-being parameters which are explored in relation to NEF’s Five Ways to Well-being. The chapter is supported by detailed data sets derived from the surveys to analyse key activities which underpin children’s well-being.