THE STUDY
Families constantly face new pressures and challenges due to rapid industrialisation, modernisation and globalisation. Realizing that the wellbeing of the family is the primary goal in the development of the country, the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (MWFCD) through the National Population and Family Development Board (NPFDB) has pioneered the development of the Malaysian Family Wellbeing Index (FWB). The aim of the FWB index is to measure and monitor the subjective wellbeing of Malaysian families as well as to suggest and provide directions to develop family friendly policies, programs and services.
INDICATORS
The FWB index comprises of seven domains that covers 24 key family wellbeing indicators.
| DOMAIN | INDICATOR |
| Family Relationships | i.Parental Involvement Ill. Family resilience Ili. Family functioning iv Time with family Work-family balance Vi. Husband/wife relationship vil. Parental relationship |
| Family Economy | Family living standards Family economic situation lid. Future savings iv Debt burden |
| Family Health | Family health practice Family health level Ill. Stress management |
| Family Safety | Emergency response knowledge Safety at home ill. Family safety |
| Farnily and Community | Community cooperation Community relationship – Community involvement |
| Family and Religion/ Spirituality | Role of religion Spiritual practice |
| Housing and Environment | Basic amenities Pollution levels |
FINDINGS: RESPONDENTS PROFILE
The study was conducted on 2,808 households involving a total of 5,616 respondents (a parent and a child from each household), consisting of 1,484 fathers, 1,324 mothers and 2,808 adolescents aged 13 to 24 years. Selection of households in this study was with the assistance of the Department of Statistics using a stratified random sampling method using face-to-face interview approach.
Chart 1 : Distribution of Respondents by Strata
Chart 2 : Distribution of Respondents by Ethnics
Chart 3: Marital Status of Respondents
FINDINGS: FAMILY WELL-BEING INDEX
The FWB index uses the value of 10 as the maximum score. The higher the score obtained, the better the level of family well being in the country. The FWB index was obtained by averaging the score for all seven domains measured. Domain scores were obtained through the average score for all indicators in a domain. Through this study, the FWB index was recorded at 7.55 out of a maximum score of 10 indicating that Malaysian families have a relatively high level of wellbeing and are able to manage the challenges of development.
Of the seven domains identified, the Family and Religion/ Spirituality domain recorded the highest score of 8.25. It was followed by the domain scores for Family and Community (7.83), Family Relationships (7.82), Family Safety (7.39), Family Health (7.38), Housing and Environment (7.28), and Family Economy (6.90).
Download : PopInfo Issue 1 2014
