Recommended social indicators for the Puget Sound Partnership: A report summarizing lessons from three local case studies

A 2014 report from the University of Washington Puget Sound Institute identifies 23 potential indicators of human wellbeing in the Puget Sound region. These indicators will inform the adoption of Human Quality of Life "Vital Signs" by the Puget Sound Partnership.

Social scientists will monitor several of the Puget Sound Partership's "Vital Signs" including Healthy Human Population and Human Quality of Life.
Social scientists will monitor several of the Puget Sound Partership's "Vital Signs" including Healthy Human Population and Human Quality of Life.

Summary

The Puget Sound Partnership (PSP) is tasked with coordinating restoration of the Puget Sound to enhance healthy human populations and quality of life. One way the partnership monitors the status of these goals is through the Vital Signs, which currently have a placeholder for a quality of life index. This document summarizes research in three local areas using stakeholder processes and scientific literature review to identify common attributes of human wellbeing and quality of life and associated indicators that could serve as effective Vital Signs.

Since 2012, a research team led by the Puget Sound Institute collected data in the Hood Canal watershed, the Puyallup watershed, and Whatcom County. With the support of graduate students and several local and PSP collaborators, we conducted literature reviews and stakeholder interviews to develop potential indicators of human wellbeing related to natural resources relevant to the watershed/county. We then held 2-3 stakeholder workshops in each watershed/county to refine and rank the indicators, recommending indicators for each area categorized into human wellbeing domains:

  • physical health
  • psychological health
  • environmental governance
  • social wellbeing
  • cultural wellbeing
  • economic wellbeing

This document combines the results from these three studies with similar work conducted in Puget Sound tribes to recommend a short list of potential human wellbeing indicators for Puget Sound. These recommendations are intended to support completion of the Partnership’s selection of Vital Sign indicators of Healthy Human Populations and Human Quality of Life. 

About the Author: 
Kelly Biedenweg is Lead Social Scientist at the University of Washington Puget Sound Institute.