Measuring human wellbeing indicators for Hood Canal

This 2014 Puget Sound Institue report shows baseline data, surveyed from Hood Canal residents, of four subjective indicators: accessing locally harvested products, experiencing positive emotions, working with community members to solve natural resource issues, and knowledge gained from different communication sources.

Hood Canal Fireworks near Poulsbo, Washington. Photo: Eric Scouten. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) https://www.flickr.com/photos/ericscouten/7506197890/
Hood Canal Fireworks near Poulsbo, Washington. Photo: Eric Scouten. (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) https://www.flickr.com/photos/ericscouten/7506197890/

Introduction

In 2012, the Hood Canal Coordinating Counsel (HCCC) collaborating with the Puget Sound Institute, UW Tacoma (PSI), to develop human wellbeing indicators related to the Hood Canal natural environment (Biedenweg and Hanein 2012). Using literature review, stakeholder interviews, and stakeholder workshops, PSI recommended 26 indicators representing seven domains of wellbeing: Economic, Physical, Psychological, Social, Cultural, and Governance. The HCCC selected six of these indicators for initial monitoring of human relationships to the local environmental. The purpose of these indicators is to capture a broad image of the “State of the Hood Canal” that represents both ecological and social systems. Eventually these indicators can be monitored over time to evaluate resource management projects and selects the most appropriate strategies according to both human and ecological trends.

In the fall of 2014, we collected baseline data for four subjective indicators: accessing locally harvested products, experiencing positive emotions, working with community members to solve natural resource issues, and knowledge gained from different communication sources (Appendix I). This report describes the methods and results for this effort. -- Summary description adapted from the report. 

Citation

Scott, T., Scott, R., & Biedenweg, K. (2014). Measuring human wellbeing indicators for Hood Canal. Puget Sound Institute, Tacoma, Washington.

Download the full report (PDF)