In a recent university-led study the Shire of Capel topped the South West for overall quality of life, boosted by favourable perceptions of education, employment, wealth and health.
The South West has been revealed as one of the happiest regions in WA on a quality of life index compiled by researchers and students from Bond University’s Happiness Project.
Statistics were collated from a range of national and local data on housing, health, education, employment, community, wealth, work-life balance, safety and accessibility to determine the ‘happiest’ places in the country.
Shire of Capel president Murray Scott said he was pleased to hear Capel was ranked the happiest place in the South West to live.
“It is attributed to the fantastic lifestyle we have on offer and the natural assets, which make it such a great place,” he said.
“There are so many great things to do in the shire and it is a credit to the people who make up our community.”
The study revealed jurisdictions in the South West generally compared favourably to the rest of regional WA, though most areas were still ranked below local government areas in Perth.
Margaret River and Busselton were also among the top performers in WA for health and employment, though both lost marks on housing and safety.
The lowest perceptions of quality of life came from the jurisdictions of Collie, Bunbury and Nannup.
Work-life balance was highlighted as a key concern in Collie and Nannup, while Bunbury was rated down on housing and safety.
Much of the data was taken from the 2016 Census and public health data from 2017.
