The Museums Association has expressed disappointment that culture is not included in the Office of National Statistics’ (ONS) draft measures of national wellbeing.

Following a public consultation, the ONS has released a summary of proposed measures for national wellbeing. They include satisfaction with amount and use of leisure time, but there are no measures for culture, the arts or heritage.

Data gathered on the basis of the measures is likely to influence government policy.

The Museums Association’s head of policy and communications, Maurice Davies, said: “It is disappointing that culture is not included. The proposed measures present a partial picture of wellbeing that threatens to mislead policy-makers and commentators.”

An ONS spokesman said: “Our detailed report on the consultation noted that ‘no single measure has been found for availability of, access to or use of arts, culture, leisure and sport facilities which could be included in the headline set, nor could we find a measure for each of them separately’.

“The set of domains and measures is not set in stone. We continue to seek feedback and will continue to develop them. This will include the possibility of including an indicator for culture, arts and heritage if one can be found or developed.”