Introduction

How can we understand well-being? In Understanding Well-being Data: Improving Social and Cultural Policy, Practice and Research (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), Susan Oman, a Lecturer in Data, AI and Society at the University of Sheffield, explores the history of well-being, the history of measurement, and cultural policy. The book covers a huge range of subjects but is written in a clear and accessible way, making longstanding debates over research methods, happiness, government decision making, and the meaning of culture (and life!). The book also has numerous practical case studies, and is available as an open access download here. It is essential reading across the arts, humanities, and social sciences, as well as for anyone interested in the new science of well-being!

Dave O'Brien is Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries, at the University of Sheffield.

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