It’s been almost a year since we finished our initial research into what influences the wellbeing of people in rural areas for Defra. At the time, in the middle of what felt like a never ending lockdown, the chance to immerse ourselves in conversations about what might influence (and improve... we live in hope...) the lives of people in different communities was much appreciated.
What was the research about?
We were trying to understand what are the drivers of wellbeing in rural areas, and how the local conditions affect the ways in which we understand such drivers. Most research is set in an urban setting so we may be imposing one understanding of the world to a context where it simply doesn’t hold.
We were asked to synthesise existing published evidence and some small scale primary research with residents into a framework that could be used at national and local level. The complexity of our lives, our communities and public policy means we need a way to anchor our conversations and find ways to discuss what is happening in people’s lives. Having a framework which gives people some insights into collective knowledge can be a starting point to say “What is our context? What are our priorities? How do these ideas and pieces help us to explore that?”
These questions are important at every stage of the policy (and practice) cycle. Before we can design how we tackle complex issues, we need to know why we are doing something in the first place, and what matters most to those in the place we are seeking to create change. We also need to understand these priorities when we reflect back on whether a policy or intervention has been effective.
The research was used to create a step by step flexible guide to ask the right questions at the right time in the design-deliver-evaluate cycle. Intentionally open and with the security of the existing evidence base to direct thematic discussions, they can be used by any stakeholder who is interested in using the frame of wellbeing in a rural context.
What did our research highlight about the complexities of rural life?
The headline evidence from our research into defining and measuring rural wellbeing found:
- There’s a really big gap in the evidence base relating to the wellbeing of people in rural areas. There’s lots of opportunities for researchers and frontline practitioners to contribute to a better collective understanding of what influences people’s wellbeing in different types of rural areas.
- Economic opportunities is a more useful lens to use when looking at the priorities of local people that just looking at the headline economic outputs. Why? Because people wanted to think about the different ways in which the economy affects their lives, their opportunities and what they can access. They talked about access to jobs and education and how they perceived that the availability of affordable housing had a greater influence over their lives and their chances than in urban areas.
- Strong communities matter everywhere - and the ways in which they are created and maintained are unique in each rural area. A sense of belonging, ability to participate and feel some power over the decisions that affect your life were raised as particularly important to residents we spoke to.
- Proximity to nature is really important to those in rural areas and a driver of inward migration. But access to culture and heritage also matters and the particular geographical and social setting varies considerably.
- Access to services, jobs and support, and access via other enablers (like transport/ digital access) is vital to consider in a rural context, much more so than in an urban context.
- Fairness or inclusiveness (equality) enables people to thrive. In a rural context it is particularly influenced by life stages, capabilities (such as financial, access to transport) and characteristics (such as a desire to be close or far from others).