Tuesday the 26th of April sees the launch of the Happy City Pulse – but what is it exactly? And how can you get involved?

WHAT is the Happy City Pulse?

The Happiness Pulse is our innovative online survey tool, which is one part of the Happy City Index. From Tuesday 26th, you’ll be able to click through to our online portal to take part in the 5-minute Pulse survey. The Pulse asks you a range of simple, straight-forward questions designed to find out more about your own wellbeing.

By the end of the survey, the Pulse will be able to visualise your personal happiness for you, showing you where you seem to be content, and suggesting areas that you might like to pay attention to. It’ll also point you towards a range of resources to explore that can help you take better control over your happiness.

If you are living in Bristol, The Pulse will (anonymously) feed into into The Happy City Index, allowing us to put together a more comprehensive picture of a city’s happiness as a whole. We are starting this in Bristol, UK, and aim to share the tool with other cities from late 2016 onwards.

WHEN is the Pulse happening?

The Pulse is officially launching Tuesday the 26th of April. Just follow the link https://happinesspulse.orgto take part.

WHERE is the Pulse taking place?

The Happy City Pulse is available worldwide, for individuals to measure, understand and improve their wellbeing right now.

The Happy City Index as a whole, however, is being developed and piloted at a city-scale in Bristol, UK. Bristol is Happy City’s hometown, so it made sense to launch it here before we take it anywhere else. Once we have the experience of doing it once under our belts, we want to roll it out to other cities in the UK and beyond from late 2016.

WHO is running the Happy City Pulse?

The Pulse is run and maintained by the team at Happy City – an independent charity – with the help of a range of experts within the field of happiness and human wellbeing. It has been created in collaboration with researchers from the New Economics Foundation (NEF) and University of Bristol, meaning that it is the product of the joint work of some of the world’s leading experts in this field.

Some FAQs…

Why do you want to measure happiness in the first place? Can it make a difference to anything?

We admit that happiness is an elusive concept and not easily measurable! But what can be measured is how we are feeling and functioning in our everyday lives – the things that evidence shows support long term and sustainable wellbeing –  and these are the things we want to learn about with the Pulse.

Can it make a difference to anything?

Yes, it undoubtedly can. For years, we as a society have relied on economic indicators to tell us whether our communities are succeeding or not. The Pulse is one part of a huge push to change the conversation around our happiness and fulfilment as human individuals, not economic units.

Who will be able to use my data and for what purpose? Why do you want this data and is it confidential?

Yes, all the data we collect is completely anonymous and will only be used for the purpose of analysis – to support better decisions and investment in the things that help communities to thrive.

What if i don’t live in Bristol? Can I still take part in the Pulse survey?

Yes! Even if you don’t live in Bristol, you can still take the Pulse and use it to learn more about your own levels of happiness. All it means is that your scores won’t be used in the Bristol-based test of city-wide happiness this summer.