How ANDI works
​ANDI is built on three essential and connected elements: collaborative research; national citizen engagement; and knowledge mobilisation
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Research-led
ANDI and its team of researchers led from the Melbourne Graduate School Of Education undertake trans-disciplinary research that explores factors that both contribute to and detract from the wellbeing of individuals, communities, and society at large from a variety of perspectives.

​The outcomes serve to strengthen our understanding of wellbeing and to reinforce the conceptual framework that guides an integrated perspective on national wellbeing.
A methodology for weighting and smoothing data will be developed to generate an index figure for each domain.  Judgements about weighting of indicators within and across the domains will be informed by community engagement.
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A prototype national index, using available indicator data has been developed in the Health and Education sectors. When entirely developed, the ANDI index will reflect twelve fully established domains of national wellbeing, using indicators weighted through wide community consultation.

Community engagement

ANDI has an objective of gathering the views of up to half a million Australians to help shape the index and identify the things we should measure under each of the domains.  This activity will be conducted over the coming years of development of the domains and index.
Two-thirds of Australians think ‘the future we pass on to our children and grandchildren will not be better than that handed to us’
ANDI partners with a wide range of community organisations, peak bodies, businesses, local governments, faith-based organisations and media to run multiple events and campaigns to gather the views of Australians on what they think matters for Australia’s future wellbeing and progress towards it. 

Community engagement activities are more than the collection of initial views of what matters to Australians; over the longer term, they will be characterised by efforts to have ANDI act as a catalyst for change and promote dialogue and sharing of wellbeing knowledge and best practices.

Knowledge mobilisation

Knowledge mobilisation means making sure that ANDI is known, trusted and widely used in the community, the media and government.

Successful knowledge mobilisation requires carefully planned outreach activities, such as workshops with community partners, MPs and staff at all levels of government. It involves focusing on cultivating an understanding of what the policy implications are for improving our progress towards sustainable wellbeing. 
Opportunities to transfer knowledge include:
– discussions with MPs and senior government staff about the potential of ANDI as an effective tool for measuring wellbeing;
– advocating ANDI as a measuring tool for the public health goals of Australia;
– supporting planners and local governments to use ANDI as a community planning tool; and,
– collaboration with a variety of community organisations and foundations on how ANDI can support their social change initiatives.