How do you define a better life? What matters most to you – good schools, safe streets or something else? The OECD Better Life Initiative proposes an interactive tool, Your Better Life Index, which enables you to rate your country on the things you feel make for a better life. The Index allows citizens to compare well-being across 34 countries, based on 11 dimensions the OECD has identified as essential, in the areas of material living conditions and quality of life: housing, income, jobs, community, education, environment, governance, health, life satisfaction, safety, work-life balance. The OECD is NOT deciding what makes for better lives. YOU decide for yourself. The Index will be live on 24 May 2011.

1. Your Better Life Index Marking the OECD’s 50 th Anniversary by engaging the public in the policy process

2. Your Better Life Index For fifty years the OECD has been driving better policies for better lives. For its 50 th Anniversary, the OECD is launching Your Better Life Index, manifesting its work to measure progress. By asking the question “How’s life?” across 11 fundamental determinants of well-being, the OECD incorporates the quality of citizens’ lives into a common understanding of progress. Each user can create their own index, comparing well-being in their country to that of others, and their country’s overall performance with their personal priorities. By using this instrument, they also discover how each of the 11 factors affects quality of life overall, and learn about the best policy practices in these areas.

3. Better policies for better lives The OECD helps governments meet the concerns of their citizens Supply Demand Government (POLICIES) Citizens (LIVES) (BETTER)

4. Better policies for better lives Your Better Life Index helps governments engage the public in policy making INFORMATION Engagement Supply Government (POLICIES) Citizens (LIVES) (BETTER)

5. Your Better Life Index A instrument to measure quality of life Sets of indicators grouped by topic for OECD countries allow users to compare how countries perform overall and in specific areas

6. Your Better Life Index A space for you to experiment and learn A “control panel” allows you to attribute weights to each set of indicators and discover how the focus on their priorities affects the performance of their country as a whole

7. Your Better Life Index A portal to OECD work Links to OECD data, analysis and policy recommendations by both country and topic allow users to explore the information in the depth appropriate to their level of expertise

8. Your Better Life Index

9. The user’s journey 1. Awareness 2. Knowledge 3. Empowerment 4. Engagement