Presentation at the HLEG thematic workshop on "Multidimensional Subjective Well-being", 30-31 October 2014, Turin, Italy, http://oe.cd/HLEG-workshop-subjective-wb-2014
2. The European statistical system
• 28 national offices (+EFTA, CH, CC)
• Eurostat
• In our context: ex-ante output harmonisation
• Agreement on the methods, concepts, variables
etc. before launching the surveys
• Survey and data processing by MS
• We receive a set of microdata according to
specifications
3. The well-known context
• GDP and beyond (Commission communication)
• The SSF recommendations
• The ESS sponsorship on measuring progress
• The Eurostat expert group on quality of life
indicator
4. Sofia memorandum, November 2010
The DGINS
• recognised the importance of high quality data about people’s quality of life,
based on an approach which encompasses the economic, social and
environmental dimensions covering objective and subjective conditions;
• recognised that the timeliness, comparability and coverage of various
dimensions of quality of life statistics need to be improved and that, for
comparison purposes at European level, the European survey on income and
living conditions (EU-SILC) should be developed as a core instrument for
measuring quality of life dimensions not already covered by other statistical
sources;
• recognised that several other data sources (e.g. Labour Force Survey,
Household Budget Survey, Time Use Survey) are available at ESS level and
committed itself to make better use of their complementarities with EU-SILC in
order to provide a comprehensive system to measure different dimensions of
quality of life; the increasing use of administrative data was also recognised in
this regard.
5. EU-SILC
• Survey on income and living conditions, 2004, 31
countries, 250 000 HHs, 500 000 individuals, 4
year panel.
• Income (hhs, ind.), deprivation, work patterns,
housing & living place, financial stress,… (140
variables)
• Yearly ad hoc modules (about social part.,
housing, debt, access, etc.) (20 variables)
6. Interest of SILC in the quality of life agenda
• Strongly harmonised survey (ex-ante output
harmonisation) – legal basis
• 10 years of implementation, constant progress
• Large sample, allowing disaggregation
• Covers already several important QoL dimensions
• Collects data at individual level
• Has a panel dimension
• Covers usually all the HH members
• Special module on well-being in 2013
7. Caveats
• Harmonisation and subjective questions
• Questionnaire, wording, order, translation (reference
questionnaire translated)
• Proxy answers (not allowed)
• Scales
• Focus on poverty
• Also, limited space
9. Objective information Subjective information
Material living
conditions
Satisfaction with financial situation
Satisfaction with accommodation
Productive or main
activity
Job satisfaction
Health
Being very nervous
Feeling down in the dumps
Feeling calm and peaceful
Feeling downhearted or depressed
Being happy
Education
Leisure and social
interactions
Satisfaction with personal relationship
Anyone to discuss personal matters
Anyone to get help from
Satisfaction with time use
Satisfaction with commuting time
Economic and
physical safety
Physical security
Governance and basic
rights
Trust in the political system
Trust in the legal system
Trust in the police
Trust in others
Natural and living
environment
Satisfaction with recreational /green
Satisfaction with living environment
Overall experience of
life
Life satisfaction
Meaning of life
(Emotions under "health")
10. Next steps
• Ad hoc module:
• Reception (end 2014) and careful analysis of the data
• Quality reports
• Dissemination (Eurobase, publications, dissemination to
the researchers through the User Data Base at the latest
August 2015)
• SILC modernisation
• Yearly question(s): at least life satisfaction
• Module on QoL every 6 years – all individuals should be
covered
23. Conclusion
• QoL and WB data agenda is reinforced in the ESS
• First large scale international official statistics
• Good analytical potential
• Methodological issues to address gradually
• Continuation of the work foreseen in SILC
• Other surveys to contribute (TUS, LFS, etc.)