The Feelgood index is a tool to measure citizens’ happiness and well-being by analyzing thousands of tweets about a city sent by residents or visitors.
So far, it has been used in UK cities Rochdale and London. Using algorithms and machine learning, the tweets are analyzed based on the words and symbols used, in order to find positive or negative feelings. This method takes the temperature on the public’s opinions, attitudes and feelings through real time data and, considering that people do not always respond entirely honestly to survey questionnaires, it could probably be a better choice when it comes to detecting residents’ true emotional state.
The feelgood factor has also been used to measure Londoners’ happiness during the Brexit negotiations as well as during certain political elections.
Paul Ormerod, visiting professor at University College London Dept. of Computer Science, and Rickard Nyman, Ph.D., University College London, Centre for Decision Making Uncertainty.
Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and several commercial companies.
Rochdale is an industrial city in the poorest part of the Manchester region. Here, the Feelgood index was an attempt to do something for the city, to eventually change its image. Furthermore, the aim was to develop the rather standard polling methods used for happiness rating among citizens. Through this index the local authorities are given a more reliable “voice of the people” compared to the currently used survey questionnaires.
“You can learn a lot from other disciplines. I am an economist, but I have worked with computer scientists, physicists, psychologists, anthropologists, etc. More collaboration is better even though you might have different missions.” Paul Ormerod, UCL Department of Computer Science
Tech trends: AI – Deep learning, Big data, Algorithm-design, Sharing economy
Societal trends: Urbanization, Transparency, Experiences
This case can be linked to SDG no. 3 - Good health and well-being - due to the focus on happiness and to no. 16 - Sustainable cities and communities - as the aim is to find a more inclusive base for decision-making.
Interview with Paul Ormerod, partner at Volterra Partners consultancy and visiting professor at UCL Department of Computer Science