Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department uses Office for National Statistics estimates of personal well-being when formulating policy; and what policies his Department has introduced to improve national well-being in the last 12 months.

My Department works closely with the Office for National Statistics (ONS) to develop policies that improve well-being.

The ONS wellbeing estimates are incorporated into the DCMS Taking Part Survey. This annual survey is commissioned to provide an evidence source on participation in culture and sport and collects data on well being. The survey is currently used to measure and inform departmental indicators, inform the formulation of DCMS policy, and to understand the drivers of participation in cultural and sporting activities.

Policy formulation also includes policy evaluation. ONS personal well-being data is used to evaluate and monitor the effectiveness of policy interventions. A recent example is the National Citizen Service. The reported personal well being of young people before and after their participation in the service has been evaluated. The results found statistically significant increases.