Nova Scotia Quality of Life Initiative

Led by Engage Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Quality of Life Initiative began with a question: What if there is a better way to measure how we’re doing?

Traditionally, much of the information we use to make decisions is based on economic data. Those data are not wrong – they are just incomplete.

Based on this response, Engage Nova Scotia believes that if we treasure it, we should measure it. So we embarked on two firsts, in partnership with the Canadian Index of Wellbeing and groups across the province, to:

• Release the Nova Scotia Quality of Life Index in 2018, and
• Undertake the Nova Scotia Quality of Life Survey in 2019. Almost 13,000 people responded to 230 questions, making it the single largest dataset of its kind in North America.

The survey findings can be used to inform and influence leadership, decision-making, and policy across sectors so that what matters most to Nova Scotia residents and their well-being can be invested in, created, and supported. Like the survey results, the Initiative is in the hands of many people.

Wellbeing Mapping Tool

The wellbeing mapping tool was built from the ground up by researchers at Dalhousie University in partnership with team members at Engage Nova Scotia. Results of the NS Quality of Life Survey make up the dataset available through the tool. You can explore survey results for geographic areas across the province.

A Closer Look: The Nova Scotia Quality of Life Survey

This supplementary analysis shares high-level information about demographic groups that caught the attention of Canadian Index of Wellbeing, insights about the eight domains of wellbeing, and analysis related to six areas of focus: social isolation, sense of community, feelings of trust, experiences of discrimination, poverty, and health.

An exploration of Wellbeing in Nova Scotia: A Summary of Results from the Nova Scotia Quality Of Life Survey

The summary document is the result of over 12,000 Nova Scotians participating in a 230-question survey throughout May and June 2019. It is the largest dataset of its kind in Canada and goes further and substantially deepens our understanding of how Nova Scotians are doing.

Nova Scotia Quality of Life Index: 1994-2014

The Nova Scotia Quality of Life Index – modeled on the Canadian Index of Wellbeing – assembles 21 years of data for 60 indicators across eight domains of quality of life to offer a high-level perspective of how Nova Scotians are doing.