Social Indicators

Sociology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth C. Land
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Research And Development ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Conditions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Economic Level ◽  
Level Of Living

How are we doing with respect not only to our economic level of living but, more generally, the quality of our lives, our well-being? Improving, staying about the same, or deteriorating? Compared to our past? Compared to other countries/societies? And, if improving, are the improvements shared throughout the society or only among some of us? These are the kinds of questions that have motivated research and development on social indicators, quality of life metrics, and well-being research over the past fifty years. This research has resulted in a substantial number of conceptual and empirical contributions to the measurement of social conditions, in general, and of quality of life/well-being, in particular.

scholarly journals Variation in the Quality of Life within Punjab: Evidence from MICS, 2007-08

2010 ◽  
Vol 49 (4II) ◽  
pp. 863-879
Author(s):  
Rashida Haq Rashida Haq ◽  
Azkar Ahmed ◽  
Siama Shafique
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Good Life ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Living Conditions ◽  
Final Outcome ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Quality Of Life Research ◽  
Level Of Living ◽  
Broad Continuum

Since quality of life research is essentially concerned with measuring and monitoring welfare. In order to measure quality of life, one must have a theory of what makes up a good life [Cobb (2000)]. There is a variety of such theories and notions of what constitutes a ‗good life‘ and correspondingly different concepts of welfare and quality of life have been developed. Various approaches and operationalisations are to be distinguished, each of which reveals a different concept of welfare and thus highlights different components and dimensions [Noll (2000)]. Among the various efforts to operationalise welfare in general and the quality of life concept in particular, two contrary approaches are to be distinguished, which define the two extreme positions on a broad continuum of concepts currently available: the Scandinavian level of living approach [Erickson (1993)] and the American quality of life approach [Campbell (1976)]. The Scandinavian approach focuses almost exclusively on resources and objective living conditions, whereas the American approach emphasises the subjective well-being of individuals as a final outcome of conditions and processes.

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC WELFARE AND THE LEVEL OF LIFE SATISFACTION ON THE EXAMPLE OF SELECTED COUNTRIES

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-30
Author(s):  
Ewa Polak
Keyword(s):  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Social Conditions ◽  
Economic Welfare ◽  
Quality Life ◽  
Methods Of Measurement ◽  
Economic Well Being

The article presents problems related to life quality, life satisfaction and sense of happiness, their determinants, methods of measurement and dependence on the level of wealth and other conditions. Life quality is an abstract blurred term which depends on numerous factors. There is not any single, comprehensive definition, measure or cause of such phenomena as life quality, economic well-being or sense of happiness. Their evaluation depends on economic, political, cultural and social conditions and also on individual features, expectations and attitudes. More and more often, next to hard economic coefficients, social indicators are applied, and synthetic measures of the level of life quality or social and economic well-being are developed. The level of social development is strongly affected by the quality of human capital. The article presents an attempt at matching parameters and indicators which characterise various aspects of life quality and applying them for the development of synthetic measures of life quality in its different aspects. It is also aimed at comparing them with the current results obtained by research studies in this field. The aim of the article is to provide an assessment of diversification in the levels of living conditions observed in some selected countries – its size, specificity and cause-effect relations with the use of the listed parameters and measures. The research on life quality should be applied to the assessment of the efficiency of social and economic policy which has been currently implemented.

Measuring Progress: Is Life Getting Better?

1998 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Gross Domestic Product ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Social Economic ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Ecological Sustainability ◽  
The Past ◽  
National Performance ◽  
Health And Well Being

This book is the most wide-ranging exploration of national progress yet undertaken, spanning social, economic and environmental perspectives. It brings together some of Australia’s leading researchers to consider indicators of national performance, what they tell us about the quality and sustainability of life in Australia, and how these measures can be improved. It also includes commentaries by senior bureaucrats, academics and community representatives. At one level, the debate is about the adequacy of Gross Domestic Product, as the dominant indicator of a nation’s performance, relative to both the past and other nations. However, the debate also reaches far beyond this question to challenge conventional thinking about progress and the relationships between economic activity, quality of life, health and well-being, and ecological sustainability.

scholarly journals The Validity and Utility of Global Measures of Subjective Well-Being

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Pavot
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cognitive Processes ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Levels Of Analysis ◽  
Conceptual Basis ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
The Past ◽  
Widespread Acceptance ◽  
Methodological Procedures

Abstract Research interest in topics such as happiness, the quality of life, and the experience of well-being has dramatically increased in the past four decades. Global measures of Subjective Well-Being (SWB) have long held a prominent position in this burgeoning body of research (Diener, 1984; Pavot, 2008). Despite their widespread acceptance and use, the validity and utility of global measures of SWB have been challenged at several levels of analysis. These critiques have ranged from the conceptual basis of SWB (e.g. Ryan & Deci 2001; Ryff, 1989; Ryff & Singer, 2008) to very specific concerns about the context of the assessment situation and the cognitive processes involved in formulating a response to such measures (Pavot & Diener, 1993a; Schimmack & Oishi, 2005; Schwarz, & Strack, 1999). The purpose of this paper is to review and address some of the more prominent critiques of global measures of SWB, and to discuss methodological procedures and strategies for minimizing threats to the validity and increasing the utility of global measures of SWB.

scholarly journals Let’s Walk It: Mobility and the Perceived Quality of Life in Older Adults

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (21) ◽  
pp. 11515
Author(s):  
Ulrike Bechtold ◽  
Natalie Stauder ◽  
Martin Fieder
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Research And Development ◽  
Social Integration ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Assistive Technologies ◽  
Self Perception ◽  
Ageing Society ◽  
Self Rated Health

European policy and the research and development landscape put forward a number of arguments in favor of implementing “Active Assisted Living” (AAL) for older adults: it will improve older adults’ quality of life, allow them to age in place, and keep costs for an ageing society down by exploiting new technology markets. The idea is that older adults who are supported by AAL and make use of assistive technologies will enjoy more freedom, autonomy, and mobility and also improved social integration and better communication. Yet, despite a history of more than 10 years of European research and development, the use of AAL applications is not as widespread as expected. To examine older adults’ attitudes to assistive technologies, we conducted a study in Vienna (Austria) between 2018 and 2020 questioning 245 older adults aged 61–93 years (M = 74.27 SD = 6.654) who lived at their private homes and had different support needs (ranging from “no support” to “everyday visit of social and/or care organizations”). The three goals of the study encompassed: (1) examination of their quality of life, (2) their attitudes and use of assistive technologies, and (3) the way they perceive their own and others’ life-course and getting older. AAL as a concept links “ageing in place” and “quality of life”. However, “mobility” is also of major importance here. In this paper, we aim to investigate the relation between the independent variables “Quality of life” and “Mobility” and their possible associations with the following dependent variables: cohabitation, social integration, self-rated health, sportive activities, locomotion, home well-being and safety, physical limitations, falls, and self-perception of their own ageing (compared to others). We calculated multivariate models regressing on these explaining and confounding variables. We found a positive correlation between mobility and quality of life. In detail, our results show a significant positive association between QOL and mobility regarding self-rated health and self-perception. Experiencing vertigo, walking difficulties, and balance problems significantly and negatively influence self-rated health and self-perception compared to others. Our findings can also be read as a clear message that there is a need to improve both health and the culture of ageing and to facilitate positive attitudes toward ageing as an efficient way to enhance the Quality of life of older adults.

scholarly journals Abordări conceptuale și metodologii de măsurare a calității vieții. O analiză descriptivă

2021 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Bianca Buligescu
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Human Life ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Quality ◽  
Quality Of Life Research ◽  
Life Measurement ◽  
Quality Dimensions

The main objective of this paper is to describe the logic of the conceptual approaches regarding the quality of life, and to identify the main dimensions and measurable indicators of quality of life. The identification of the main conceptualizations of quality of life is an essential step, in the context in which quality of life is often ambiguous or has multiple meanings. Although often used as an umbrella term which encompasses many aspects of human life, we aim to describe the logic of the integrative approaches regarding well-being/ quality of life. The identification of the main dimensions and measurable indicators of quality of life with a brief description of those, will serve to operationalize a list of life quality dimensions. Keywords: quality of life research; quality of life measurement; quality of life theory; social indicators; economic indicators. ●●●●● Principalele obiective ale acestei lucrări sunt de a descrie logica abordărilor conceptuale privind calitatea vieții și de a identifica principalele dimensiuni, respectiv indicatori măsurabili ai calității vieții. Analiza principalelor conceptualizări ale calității vieții reprezintă un pas esențial, în contextul în care utilizarea conceptului de calitatea vieții este adesea ambiguă sau cel puțin cu sensuri multiple. Deși utilizat adesea ca un termen-umbrelă care înglobează mai multe aspecte ale vieții umane, ne propunem să descriem logica abordărilor integrative privind calitatea vieții. Identificarea principalelor dimensiuni și indicatorii măsurabili ai calității vieții, cu o descriere pe scurt a acestora, va servi la operaționalizarea unei liste de dimensiuni a calității vieții. Cuvinte-cheie: cercetarea calității vieții; măsurarea calității vieții; teoria calității vieții; indicatori sociali; indicatori economici.

Subjective Well-being Among Native and Non-Native Elderly Persons: Do Differences Exist?

1990 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 386-399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Audrey A. Blandford ◽  
Neena L. Chappell
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Social Indicators ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Elderly Persons ◽  
Subjective Well Being ◽  
Education And Health ◽  
Health Studies ◽  
Lower Life Satisfaction

ABSTRACTThis paper examines subjective well-being among Native and non-Native elderly persons. Though much has been written about Natives as a disadvantaged group in terms of income, education and health, studies which examine the subjective well-being of Natives are virtually non-existent. Subjective well-being is measured as general satisfaction with life and loneliness in this paper. Independent variables include demographic, health and social indicators. Natives have significantly lower life satisfaction than non-Natives. However, logistic regression analyses indicate that health and social factors are the major predictors of quality of life. While Natives experience a lower quality of life, it is accounted for by their worse health and disadvantaged social circumstances and is not attributable to being Native per se.

Perceived Overprotection and Its Association With Quality of Life in Dementia

GeroPsych ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 125-134
Author(s):  
Mechthild Niemann-Mirmehdi ◽  
Andreas Häusler ◽  
Paul Gellert ◽  
Johanna Nordheim
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Patient Autonomy ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Negative Association ◽  
Significant Positive Association ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Mental Well Being

Abstract. To date, few studies have focused on perceived overprotection from the perspective of people with dementia (PwD). In the present examination, the association of perceived overprotection in PwD is examined as an autonomy-restricting factor and thus negative for their mental well-being. Cross-sectional data from the prospective DYADEM study of 82 patient/partner dyads (mean age = 74.26) were used to investigate the association between overprotection, perceived stress, depression, and quality of life (QoL). The analyses show that an overprotective contact style with PwD has a significant positive association with stress and depression, and has a negative association with QoL. The results emphasize the importance of avoiding an overprotective care style and supporting patient autonomy.

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