Understanding and Measuring Child Well-being in the Region of Attica, Greece: Round four

Abstract

This paper aims to present the results of implementing a new, multi-dimensional and cumulative tool that records the well-being of children in the 1st semester of the school year 2020-2021, which constitutes the fourth round of an ongoing research. The tool was implemented in Attica through questionnaires circulated in twenty-five schools and three support centers for children and families under the organization, "The Smile of the Child" (twenty-eight bodies in total). The total number of children who participated in the sample was 1,114, belonging to three distinct school categories: the 6th grade of elementary school (10-11 years old), the 3rd grade of junior high (13-14 years old), and the 3rd grade of high school (16-17 years old). The results, mapped out in seven clusters, reveal evident concerns over nutrition and the moral education of students. In addition, the results indicate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of children and reveal with regard to national policy and legislation framework that the status of welfare state in Greece is ineffective and problematic. The theoretical and methodological framework of the study was confirmed through a multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) and a principal component analysis (PCA).The outputs of MCA reflect and confirm the good effect of "The Smile of the Child" for children in need. Finally, an action plan including the creation of policies based on public finance and fuzzy logic was suggested, the most important being the necessity of the establishment of a new Ministry for the protection of child well-being.

Keywords: Action planning; Attica; COVID-19; Child well-being; Economic policy; Indicators; Measurement; Public finance; Social policy; Welfare economics.

Fig. 1

The structure of general, child well-being (This figure was formulated with the information retrieved from the following sources: Leriou (, p. 55, 113) & Tasopoulos and Leriou (, p. 597))

Fig. 2

The process of attaining general, child well-being (This figure was formulated with the information retrieved from the following source: Leriou (2016))

Fig. 3

Structure of the tool recording child well-being in the research project C.W.-SMILE (This figure was formulated with the data retrieved from the following sources: Leriou (2016); Leriou (2019); Tasopoulos and Leriou (2014); and Leriou et al. (2021).)

Fig. 4

Geographical distribution of general, child well-being (1st semester of school year 2020–2021) (For more information on the 7 Clusters and their constituent municipalities, kindly refer to the Appendix, Table 16.)

Fig. 5

Geographical distribution of economic, child well-being (1^st semester of school year 2020–2021) (For more information on the 7 Clusters and their constituent municipalities, kindly refer to the Appendix, Table 16.)

Fig. 6

Geographical distribution of non- economic, child well-being (1^st semester of school year 2020–2021) (For more information on the 7 Clusters and their constituent municipalities, kindly refer to the Appendix, Table 16.)

Fig. 7

Geographical distribution of D.2 (1^st semester of school year 2020–2021) (For more information on the 7 Clusters and their constituent municipalities, kindly refer to the Appendix, Table 16.)

Fig. 8

Contribution of Variable Categories (2 = above threshold, 1 = equal or below threshold) (1st semester of school year 2020–2021) (The categories of active variables are colored by their contribution values to the definition of each axis. Supplementary variable categories do not contribute to the construction of the axes. Gender 1 = Boys, Gender 2 = Girls; Sch. Level 1 = Elementary School, Sch. Level 2 = Junior High School, and Sch. Level 3 = High School)

Fig. 9

The most important (or, contributing) variable categories to 1st and 2nd axes – MCA

Fig. 10

Clusters by the best and worst well-being

Fig. 11

The most important (or contributing) variable categories to 3rd and 4th axes – MCA