Measuring Subjective Issues of Well-Being and Quality of Life in the European Statistical System

Abstract

Over the last decades, the European Statistical System has developed many European statistics and indicators to measure social progress and sustainable development. Initially only in a few cases the measuring instruments contained questions on subjective issues. With the adoption of its Communication on “gross domestic product and beyond” the Commission has given an impetus to the development of subjective social indicators. This has led to the establishment of a first set of indicators on quality of life and well-being and to a new instrument (the 2013 EU-SILC ad-hoc module for measuring subjective well-being). This new step in European statistics creates an important potential for researchers to engage in in-depth analysis and for national and European Union policy makers to use the resulting indicators—and in casu subjective well-being indicators—for developing and monitoring policy strategies and programmes.

Appendices

Appendix 1

List of dimensions, topics and subtopics for which indicators are published on Eurostat’s website.¹⁸

This list as well as the set of indicators will continuously be updated and completed.

Dimension	Topic/subtopics
(1) Material living conditions
1.1	Income
1.2	Consumption
1.2.1	Constrained Consumption
1.2.2	Non-market consumption and government provided services
1.3	Material conditions
1.3.1	Material Deprivation
1.3.2	Housing conditions
(2) Productive or main activity
2.1	Quantity of employment
2.1.1	Unemployment
2.1.2	Underemployment, quantity
2.1.3	Underemployment, quality
2.2	Quality of employment
2.2.1	In work poverty
2.2.2	Health and safety at work
2.2.3	Work/life balance
2.2.4	Temporary work
2.2.5	Perception of quality of employment
2.3	Other main activity
(3) Health
3.1	Outcomes
3.1.1	Life expectancy
3.1.2	Morbidity and health status
3.2	Drivers: (un) healthy behaviours
3.3	Access to healthcare
(4) Education
4.1	Competences and skills
4.1.1	Educational attainment
4.1.2	Self-reported skills
4.1.3	Assessed skills PIAAC
4.2	Lifelong learning
4.3	Opportunities for education
(5) Leisure and social interactions
5.1	Leisure
5.1.1	Quantity of leisure
5.1.2	Quality of leisure
5.1.3	Access
5.2	Social interactions
5.2.1	Activities with people (including feelings of loneliness)
5.2.2	Activities for people (volunteering and care)
5.2.3	Supportive relationships
5.2.4	Social cohesion (interpersonal trust, perceived tensions, inequalities)
(6) Economic and physical safety
6.1	Economic security and vulnerability
6.1.1	Wealth (assets)
6.1.2	Debt
6.1.3	Income insecurity (including job)
6.2	Physical and personal security
6.2.1	Crime
6.2.2	Perception of physical safety
(7) Governance and basic rights
7.1	Institutions and public services
7.1.1	Trust and/or satisfaction in institutions
7.1.2	Trust and/or satisfaction in public services
7.2	Discrimination and equal opportunities
7.3	Active citizenship
(8) Natural and living environment
8.1	Pollution (including noise)
8.2	Access to green and recreational spaces
8.3	Landscape an built environment
(9) Overall experience of life
9.1	Life Satisfaction
9.2	Affects
9.3	Meaning and purpose

Appendix 2

Variables of the 2013 ad-hoc module on “Subjective well-being” for EU-SILC

• I. Overall experience of life (2)

  • Overall life satisfaction

  • Meaning of life

• II. Material living conditions (2)

  • Satisfaction with financial situation

  • Satisfaction with accommodation

• III. Health (5)

  • Being very nervous

  • Feeling down in the dumps

  • Feeling calm and peaceful

  • Feeling downhearted or depressed

  • Being happy

• IV. Productive and valued activities (3)

  • Job satisfaction

  • Satisfaction with commuting time

  • Satisfaction with time use

• V. Governance and basic rights (3)

  • Trust in the political system

  • Trust in the legal system

  • Trust in the police

• VI. Leisure and social interactions (4)

  • Satisfaction with personal relationships

  • Personal matters (anyone to discuss with)

  • Help from others

  • Trust in others

• VII. Natural and living environment (2)

  • Satisfaction with recreational and green areas

  • Satisfaction with living environment

• VIII. Economic and physical safety (1)

  • Physical security