Defining and measuring rural wellbeing: Guidance for DEFRA policymakers and evaluators

Over the past decade wellbeing has moved up agendas across all areas of government and civil society, a trend that has only been magnified by the recent global pandemic. There is growing evidence and understanding about the impact of policy and initiatives on the wellbeing of individuals, communities and even future generations. The emerging body of research shows that our wellbeing is influenced by numerous factors. This apparent complexity has long been a barrier to consistently valuing and measuring wellbeing as an intentional and vital outcome of policy. There has also been little research focused on the specific influence of rurality on individual and community wellbeing, and in many cases less data to support better decision making in rural policy and practice