ISG. Measuring wellbeing in Indonesia

About the seminar
Cross-cultural research suggests that wellbeing may be experienced differently by distinct populations. While research on wellbeing in non-Western populations has increased, there is limited empirical evidence regarding how wellbeing should be measured in Indonesia. This presentation will firstly outline qualitative research examining how Indonesians perceive and experience well-being, and whether existing well-being measures are relevant within the Indonesian context. Following that, we discuss the development of the Indonesian Well-being Scale (IWS), which draws on the above qualitative studies to identify four key dimensions of wellbeing: Basic Needs; Social Relations; Self-acceptance; and Spirituality. The validity and reliability of the scale will also be discussed.
The value of using culturally-adapted wellbeing measurement tools such as the IWS will then be examined through its application in analysing the wellbeing gap between migrants and non-migrants in Jayapura. The findings indicate that the immigrant population has significantly higher levels of wellbeing when controlling for a number of characteristics. Using the IWS provided a deeper understanding of what wellbeing dimensions are driving the gap, with there being a significant difference in all four dimensions. Furthermore, applying the IWS ensured that the wellbeing dimensions analysed in the study have greater relevance and meaning to those in Jayapura, compared to global measurement tools. In sum, culturally-adapted tools such as the IWS have great potential to reduce the Western bias inherent within many wellbeing instruments, and can help ensure that we are more closely measuring what matters to people in communities throughout the world.
About the speakers
Dr Kate Sollis is a Research Fellow at the University of Tasmania analysing the wellbeing benefits of nature connection. She is also a consultant with the Centre for Policy Development, working on a project examining the benefits of child wellbeing policy approaches. She has over ten years of experience in a range of social research areas including child well-being, social policy, longitudinal analysis, and program evaluation.
Dr Herdiyan Maulana is a Lecturer at the Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Negeri Jakarta (UNJ), Indonesia, with a special interest in well-being and quality of life studies. He graduated from the School of Psychology of the Faculty of Health at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. He currently acts as a head of department of the Master of Science in Psychology program, UNJ. His current research focuses on the ways people experience wellbeing and how it is measured in a multi-cultural context. He is particularly interested in cross-cultural approaches to understanding wellbeing in order to assist policymakers improve the quality of life for communities in general.
Copyright ANU Indonesia Project 2023