Abstract
The effort to measure and monitor children’s well-being and the use of child well- being indicators is not new. However, recent years have brought new and growing attention to the field, and some argue, the revival of the children’s social indicators movement. Much of this new activity can be traced back to the 1960’s social indicators movement and be accounted for by UNICEF’s State of the World’s Childrenannual report, as well as other international and national initiatives and projects. The United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child, through its global ratification and its reporting and monitoring mechanism, has also played a major role in increasing interest in the field. This paper presents the history and development of the field, identifies current trends, and predicts where the field is headed. The use of statistical data and indicators to specifically study the wellbeing of children is not new. Pioneering "State of the Child" reports were published as early as the 1940s (Ben-Arieh 2006; Ben-Arieh and Goerge 2001). Nevertheless, most researchers would agree that the current field of child wellbeing indicators has its substantial origins in the "social indicators movement" of the 1960s, which arose in a climate of rapid social change and a sense among social scientists and public officials that well measured and consistently collected social indicators could provide a way to monitor the condition of groups in society currently and over time, including the conditions of children and families (Aborn 1985; Land 2000). Social indicators thus could be strategically used to help form how we think about important issues in our personal lives and the life of a nation; the use of indicators falls well within the long-established "public enlightenment" function of social indicators (Frones 2007).
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Aber, J. L. (1997). Measuring child poverty for use in comparative policy analysis. In A. Ben-Arieh & H. Wintersberger (Eds.), Monitoring and measuring the state of children: Beyond survival (pp. 193-207). Eurosocial Report No. 62. Vienna: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research.
Aber, L. J., & Jones, S. (1997). Indicators of positive development in early childhood: Improving concepts and measures. In R.M. Hauser, B.V. Brown, & W.R. Prosser (Eds.), Indicators of children’s well-being(pp. 395-408). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Aborn, M. (1985). Statistical legacies of the social indicators movement. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Statistical Association, Las Vegas, Nevada.
Alanen, L. (2001). Childhood as a generational condition. In L. Alanen & B. Mayall (Eds.), Conceptualizing child-adult relations(pp. 26-49). London: Falmer.
Antonovsky, A. (1987). Unraveling the mystery of health. How people manage stress and stay well. San Francisco:
Banister, J. (1994). "FDCH Congressional Testimony." Washington DC: US Congress
Bauer R.A. (Ed.) (1966). Social indicators. Cambridge, MA.: MIT Press.
Ben-Arieh, A. (2000) Beyond welfare: Measuring and monitoring the state of children–new trends and domains, Social Indicators Research,52 (3), 235-257.
Ben-Arieh, A. (2002). Evaluating the outcomes of programs versus monitoring well-being: A childcentered perspective. In T. Vecchiato, A. N. Maluccio, & C. Canali (Eds.), Evaluation in child and family services: Comparative client and program perspective. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
Ben-Arieh, A. (2005). Where are the children? Children’s role in measuring and monitoring their well-being, Social Indicators,74 (3), 573–596.
Ben-Arieh, A. (2006). Is the study of the “State of Our Children” changing? Revisiting after five years, Children and Youth Services Review,28 (7), 799-811.
Ben-Arieh, A., (in press). Indicators and indices of children’s well-being: Toward a more policy oriented perspective, European Journal of Education.
Ben-Arieh, A., Kaufman, H. N., Andrews, B. A., Goerge, R., Lee, B.J, & Aber, J.L. (2001). Measuring and monitoring children’s well-being Netherlands: Kluwer.
Ben-Arieh, A., & Goerge, R. (2001). Beyond the numbers: How do we monitor the state of our children, Children and Youth Services Review,23 (8), 603-631.
Ben-Arieh, A., & Goerge, R. (Eds.). (2006). Indicators of children’s well-being: Understanding their role, usage, and policy influence. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.
Ben-Arieh, A., & Wintersberger, H. (Eds.). (1997). Monitoring and measuring the state of children: Beyond survival.Eurosocial Report No. 62. Vienna: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research.
Bradshaw, J., & Barnes, H. (1999). How do nations monitor the well-being of their children.Paper presented at the Child Well-being in Rich and Transition Countries, Luxemburg.
Bradshaw, J., Hoscher, P., & Richardson, D. (2007). An index of child well-being in the European Union, Social Indicators Research80 (1), 133-177.
Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. (1998). The ecology of developmental processes. In W. Damon & R. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology, 5th ed., vol. 1: Theoretical models of human development. New York: John Wiley.
Brown, B., & Moore, K. (2003). Child and youth well-being: The social indicators field. In R. Lerner, F. Jacobs, & J. Wertlieb (Eds.), Handbook of applied developmental science: Promoting positive child, adolescent, and family development through research, policies, and programs.Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Campbell, A., & Converse, P.E. (Eds.). (1972). The human meaning of social change. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Casas, F. (2000). Quality of life and the life experience of children. In E. Verhellen (Ed.), Fifth international interdisciplinary course on children’s rights. Belgium: University of Ghent.
Casas, F., Gonzlæz, M., Figuer, C., & Coenders, G. (2004). Subjective well-being, values, and goal achievement: The case of planned versus by chance searches on the Internet. Social Indicators Research,66, 123-141.
De Lone, R.H. (1979). Small futures: Children, inequality, and the limits of liberal reform. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich.
Duncan, B. (1968). Trends in output and distribution of schooling. In Eleanor Bernert Sheldon and Wilbert E. Moore (Eds.), Indicators of social change: Concepts and measurement(pp. 601- 672). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Forssén, K., & Ritakallio, V. (2006). First births. A comparative study of the patterns of transition to parenthood in Europe. In J. Bradshaw & A. Hatland (Eds.), Social policy, employment and family change in comparative perspective(pp. 161-177). New York: Edward Elgar.
Frones, I. (2007). Theorizing indicators Social Indicators Research,83 (1), 5-23.
Goerge, R.M. (1997). "The Use of Administrative Data in Measuring the State of Children." In A. Ben-Arieh & H. Wintersberger (Eds.), Monitoring and measuring the state of children: Beyond survival.Eurosocial Report No. 62 (pp. 277-286). Vienna: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research.
Goode, W.J. (1968). The theory and measurement of family change. In Eleanor Bernert Sheldon & Wilbert E. Moore (Eds.), Indicators of social change: Concepts and measurements(pp. 295-345). New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Hauser, R.M., Brown, B.V., & Prosser, W.R. (Eds.) (1997). Indicators of children’s well-being. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Hubner, E.S. (1997). Life satisfaction and happiness. In G. G. Bear K. M. Minke, & A. Thomas (Eds.), Children’s needs II: Development, problems, and alternatives(pp. 271-278). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.
Hubner, E.S. (2004). Research on assessment of life satisfaction of children and adolescents. Social Indicators Research,66, 3-33.
Jensen, A. M., & Saporiti, A. (1992). Do children count? Vienna: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research.
Land, K., (2000). Social Indicators. In E. F. Borgatta & R. V. Montgomery (Eds.), Encyclopedia of sociology, revised edition(pp. 2682-2690). New York: Macmillan.
Land, K., Lamb, V.L., & Mustillo, S.K. (2001). Child and youth well-being in the United States, 1975-1998: Some findings from a new index. Social Indicators Research,56, 241-320.
Lee, B.J. (1997). The use of census and surveys: Implications for developing childhood social indicator models. In A. Ben-Arieh & H. Wintersberger (Eds.), Monitoring and measuring the state of children: Beyond survival(pp. 301-308). Eurosocial Report No. 62. Vienna: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research.
Lippman, L. (2004). Indicators of child, family and community connections.Washington, DC: Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, US Department of Health and Human Services.
Lippman, L. (2007). Indicators and indices of child well-being: A brief American history, Social Indicators Research,83 (1), 39-53.
Lohan, J.A., & Murphy, S.A. (2001). Parents’ perceptions of adolescent sibling grief responses after an adolescent or young adult child’s sudden, violent death, Omega-Journal of Death and Dying,44 (3), 195-213.
Mareš, J. (2006). Kvalita života u dětí a dospívajících I. Brno: MD
Melton, G. B. (2006). Building humane communities respectful of children: The significance of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, American Psychologist,60, 918-926.
Melton, G., & Limber, S. (1992). What children’s rights mean to children: Children’s own views. In M. Freeman & P. Veerman (Eds.), The ideologies of children’s rights(pp. 167-187). Dordrecht: Martinus Nijhoff.
Moore, K.A., Lippman, L., & Brown, B. (2004). Indicators of child well-being: The promise for positive youth development, Annals, AAPSS,591, 125-145.
Moore, K.A., Vandivere, S., Lippman, L., McPhee, C., & Bloch, M. (in press) An index of the condition of children: The ideal and a less-than-ideal U.S. example, Social Indicators Research.
Ohannessian, C.M., Lerner, R.M., Lerner, J.V., & Voneye, A. (1995). Discrepancies in adolescents and parents perceptions of family functioning and adolescent emotional adjustment, Journal of Early Adolescence,15(4), 490-516.
O’Hare, W.P., & Bramstedt, N.L. (2003). Assessing the KIDS COUNT composite index. Kids Count working paper. Baltimore, MD: Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Olk, T. (2004). German children’s welfare between economy and ideology. In An-Magritt Jensen, Asher Ben-Arieh, Cinzia Conti, Dagmar Kutsar, Máire Nic Ghiolla Phádraig, & Hanne Warming Nielsen (Eds.), Children’s welfare in an ageing Europe,vol. 2. Oslo: Norwegian Centre for Child Research.
Olk, T. (2006). Welfare states and generational order. In Helmut Wintersberger, Leena Alanen, Thomas Olk. & Jens Ovortrup (Eds.), Childhood, generational order and the welfare state. Exploring children’s social and economic welfare(59-90). Odense: University of Southern Denmark Press.
Pittman, K., & Irby, M. (1997). Promoting investment in life skills for youth: Beyond indicators for survival and problem prevention. In A. Ben-Arieh & H. Wintersberger (Eds.), Monitoring and measuring the state of children: Beyond survival,Eurosocial Report No. 62 (pp. 239–246). Vienna: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research.
Prout, A. (1997). Objective vs. subjective indicators or both? Whose perspective counts? In A. Ben- Arieh & H. Wintersberger (Eds.), Monitoring and measuring the state of children: Beyond survival.Eurosocial Report No. 62 (pp. 89-100). Vienna: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research.
Qvortrup, J. (1999). The meaning of child’s standard of living. In A. B. Andrews & N. H. Kaufman (Eds.), Implementing the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child: A standard of living adequate for development. Westport, CT: Praeger.
Resnick, M. (1995). Discussant’s comments: Indicators of children’s well-being.Conference Papers Vol. 2. Madison: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Institute for Research on Poverty, special report series.
Santos Pais, M. (1999). A human rights conceptual framework for UNICEF. UNICEF Innocenti Essay 9. Florence, Italy: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre.
Sauli, H. (1997). Using databases for monitoring the socioeconomic state of children." In A. Ben-Arieh & H. Wintersberger (Eds.), Monitoring and measuring the state of children: Beyond survival(pp. 287-299). Eurosocial Report No. 62. Vienna: European Centre for Social Welfare Policy and Research.
Sen, A. (1997). On economic inequality., Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Shek, D.T.L (1998). A longitudinal study of Hong Kong adolescents’ and parents’ perceptions of family functioning and well-being, Journal of Genetic Psychology,159 (4), 389-403.
Sheldon, E.B., & Moore, W.E. (Eds.) (1968). Indicators of social change: Concepts and measurements. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.
Stevens, K., Dickson, M., Poland, M., & Prasad, R. (2005). Focus on families: Reinforcing the importance of family. Families with dependent children –Successful outcomes project. Report on literature review and focus groups. Wellington, New Zealand: Families Commission. Available at http://www.familiescommission.govt.nz/download/focus-on-families.pdf
Sweeting, H. (2001). Our family, whose perspective? An investigation of children’s family life and health, Journal of Adolescence,24(2), 229-250.
Titler, J., & Ben-Arieh, A. (2006). So where should the research go? Some possible directions and their research implications. In A. Ben-Arieh & R. Goerge (Eds.), Indicators of children’s wellbeing: Understanding their role, usage and policy influence. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Springer.
UNICEF. (2007). Child poverty in perspective: An overview of child well-being in rich countries. Innocenti Report Card 7. Florence, Italy: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre.
Večerník, J., & Matějů, P. (Eds.). (1999). Ten years of rebuilding capitalism: Czech society after 1989. Prague: Academia.
Zill, N., Sigal, H., & Brim, O.G. (1983) Development of childhood social indicators. In Edward F. Zigler, Sharon Lynn Kagan, and Edgar Klugman (Eds.), Children, families, and government: Perspectives on American social policy(pp. 188-222). New York: Cambridge University Press.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ben-Arieh, A. (2009). Social Indicators of Children Well Being: Past, Present, and Future. In: Ben-Arieh, A., Frones, I. (eds) Indicators of Children’s Well-Being. Social Indicators Research Series, vol 36. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9304-3_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-9304-3_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
Print ISBN: 978-1-4020-9303-6
Online ISBN: 978-1-4020-9304-3
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)