In June 2025, Arts Council England published a landmark report: the Subjective Wellbeing Evidence Review, authored by Dr Daniel Fujiwara, Professor Paul Dolan, Nancy Hey, and Vidhyarth Natarajan. The report explores how subjective wellbeing (SWB), defined as people’s self-reported life satisfaction, happiness, and sense of purpose, has been used in UK policymaking over the past decade, and why it matters for the future of public investment.

Commissioned to “amplify the potential of wellbeing measures as a pillar of modern economic policy”, the review sets out a compelling case: SWB is not just an academic idea, but a practical, measurable, and monetisable tool for shaping smarter, fairer policy. From the Treasury’s Green Book to Historic England’s wellbeing strategy, the report showcases how SWB data is already influencing decisions, and where it’s still underused.

For the arts, culture, and heritage sector, the implications are profound. This blog breaks down what the report means for cultural organisations, how SWB evidence is being applied in practice, and how the sector can lead the way in demonstrating the real-world value of creativity and connection.

From Soft Benefit to Strategic Metric

One of the most important developments for the sector is the formal recognition of SWB in policymaking. HM Treasury’s Green Book, the rulebook for government decision-making, first endorsed SWB for cost-benefit analysis (CBA) in 2013. In 2022, that endorsement became stronger with supplementary guidance introducing a new metric: the Wellbeing-Adjusted Life Year (WELLBY).

The WELLBY builds on the Wellbeing Valuation (WV) method, which allows changes in subjective wellbeing to be converted into monetary values. That’s a game-changer for arts and culture organisations. It means the impact of creative participation on people’s wellbeing can now be measured and monetised, making it compatible with Treasury guidance and directly relevant to business case development.

Subjective Wellbeing in Action

This isn’t theoretical. The report highlights several real-world examples where wellbeing evidence has already been used in the arts, culture, and heritage space:

  • Historic England has developed a full Wellbeing and Heritage Strategy (2022–2025). It aims to integrate wellbeing outcomes across heritage practice — from frontline staff training to evaluation frameworks. Their research shows that engaging with heritage improves personal wellbeing (such as confidence, life satisfaction, and social connection) and boosts community wellbeing through pride, place attachment, and belonging. Living near heritage sites has even been associated with higher life satisfaction, estimated to be worth £29 billion collectively across England using WELLBY valuation.
  • Creative health and social prescribing programmes are using SWB data to track their impact. For example, Gloucestershire’s Integrated Care System tracks wellbeing outcomes from arts- and music-based community projects through its Enabling Active Communities Programme.
  • Although often unpublished, SWB evidence is already being used in local business case assessments. One example cited is the cost-benefit analysis behind the Jubilee Bank Holiday in 2022.
  • Some local authorities, such as Exeter City Council, have incorporated WV methods into funding decisions for arts groups, a promising sign that these tools are beginning to trickle down into local cultural planning.

How to Use Wellbeing Evidence

Looking across government, the report identifies four main uses of SWB evidence, all of which present opportunities for the cultural sector:

  1. Policy Advocacy
    SWB data strengthens the case for new initiatives by adding a quality-of-life lens to complement traditional outcomes. Other sectors, including sport and environmental charities, have already used SWB research to unlock funding. The arts can do the same, reframing their value in terms that resonate with decision-makers.
  2. Monitoring and Evaluation
    Tools like the ONS4 wellbeing questions (covering life satisfaction, happiness, anxiety, and sense of purpose) can be used in surveys to track the impact of cultural participation. This allows organisations to build a time series of wellbeing outcomes and spot trends over time.
  3. Using Wellbeing Tools and Frameworks
    Organisations such as the What Works Centre for Wellbeing (2014-2024) and Historic England have developed practical toolkits to help others adopt SWB evaluation. Adapting or building on these frameworks can improve rigour and encourage consistency in the way arts organisations measure impact.
  4. Cost-Benefit Analysis
    Perhaps the most strategic use of SWB data is in economic appraisal. By monetising wellbeing improvements using the WELLBY, cultural organisations can frame their programmes as investments with tangible social returns. This brings them into line with the kind of evaluation used in transport, infrastructure, and health.

Barriers to Adoption

While the case for using wellbeing evidence is strong, the report is also clear-eyed about the challenges. These fall into two broad categories:

  • Technical barriers: It’s not always easy to prove causality between a cultural activity and a wellbeing outcome. Wellbeing metrics like life satisfaction can also be relatively insensitive to one-off or short-term impacts, like museum visits or concerts. Other technical issues include risk of double-counting and the difficulty of interpreting monetary values for decision-makers who aren’t economists.
  • Institutional barriers: These include the absence of a central wellbeing unit in government, low awareness of existing tools, confusion between SWB and physical health metrics, and selective use of evidence when it suits political agendas.

Despite these challenges, the report stresses that they are not insurmountable. What’s more concerning is that SWB evidence is being underused — and that represents a missed opportunity for both the sector and society at large.

SWB Opportunities Ahead

The report finishes with a call to action: government departments, local authorities, and public bodies must actively integrate SWB evidence into their frameworks. That includes those who fund, commission, and evaluate arts, culture, and heritage initiatives.

For cultural organisations, this is more than a funding tactic, it’s a strategic shift. The ability to demonstrate wellbeing impact in robust, monetary terms could be key to securing public investment in the future. It also positions the sector as a powerful contributor to inclusive, equitable economic growth. After all, the evidence shows that happier people are more productive, and that culture can play a central role in making that happen.