Applied Research Bulletin - Volume 3, Number 1 (Winter-Spring 1997) - April 1997

Social Indicators: What Are They All About?

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Social indicators are back in vogue. Social analysts are showing interest once again in identifying and standardizing measurements of human well-being.

After an extended dormant period lasting from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, a number of interests are rediscovering the promise and potential of a movement originally associated with the optimism of the growth period in social policy. However, this time the impetus comes from a concern with the impact of social expenditure reduction in an environment of high unemployment and growing inequality.

Many interests are trying to make systematic and practical use of social statistics.

Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) recently asked the Canadian Council on Social Development to convene a symposium on social indicators and measures of well-being in order to find out what work is being done and what directions are being contemplated. What the symposium demonstrated is that there is no single social indicator movement in the 1990s. What is out there is a wide range of interests, each trying to make more systematic and practical use of social statistics for a variety of purposes. While the interests of particular individuals and organizations are complex and multi-faceted, those attending the symposium seemed to be focused on one of the four following directions.

First, there are the community-based social activists. More than most, this group is concerned that expenditure reduction represents a withdrawal of governmental activity that will lead to lower levels of social well-being and increasing polarization. What they are looking for is a rough and ready set of existing indicators, a social report card that will monitor these trends and link them as directly as possible to actions of governments. One challenge they face is that information is very hard to collect at the community level and standardization between communities is hard to develop and maintain.

Another group represents the institutions traditionally involved in social policy at the federal level. This group, including government departments, academics and members of the voluntary sector, are struggling with defining new social policy roles at the national level. In this group, the term "social audit" is often heard. Although the term has several meanings, it generally refers to a set of social indicators designed to increase public accountability. For some, it is a national activity with some arm's length from government that speaks with moral authority on the direction of social development programs. Others of this group see "social audit" as something that the federal government or a joint federal-provincial institution would use to monitor the expenditure of social dollars.

A third group, many of whom have roots in the social indicator movement of the 1970s, are more focused on the issue of measurement per se. Many are concerned when Gross National Product (GNP) is used as a measure of economic welfare, since GNP was not designed for this purpose. Some are looking for alternatives to GNP. A presentation was made at the symposium by Statistics Canada on their work on the Genuine Progress Indicator and on the construction of an Index of Social Health for Canada in partnership with HRDC. These measures were the topic of much discussion. Others in this group look to social indicator accounting, which usually entails the collection of additional statistical information from large-scale surveys to complement the existing system of national statistics.

Finally, a fourth group is composed of government departments, voluntary sector participants and some academics - most of whom are directly involved in health and social service delivery. For them, social indicators hold the promise of demonstrating the benefits of social programming. These benefits had often been taken for granted in the past. But in a more cost-conscious and conservative environment, social programmers feel the need for more rigorous evaluation. The need is to show what works and also to improve on their own programming.

The social indicator "movement" of the 90s will likely move in many directions at the same time.

So what are social indicators all about? It depends on to whom you are speaking. The social indicator "movement" of the 90s will likely move in many directions at the same time. The only commonality is a desire to increase the use of social statistics in a range of different policy and program contexts. And it is upon this commonality that HRDC will play a role. By focusing on substantive research-oriented development of new social indicators, the HRDC research program can support the various directions being taken. Part of the effort will be in promoting the implementation of new surveys. Another part of the effort will be in the development of new social indicators where gaps currently exist. For example, the potential for measures of hunger and economic insecurity are being investigated as well as the development of new life-path indicators. HRDC will also continue its work on aggregate indicators such as the Index of Social Health. Finally, over the next year, HRDC will explore the possibility of intergovernmental work on social indicators through the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Social Development Research and Information Working Group.

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