Social indicators of perceived life quality

Modern societies in both developing and developed countries have real and legitimate concerns about the enhancement, maintenance, and redistribution of individual well-being. Indicators of perceived well-being provide direct measures of what societies are trying to achieve, permit cross-sector comparisons, can indicate the adequacy of coverage of ‘objective’ indicators, and can contribute to social policy making. in both the long and short run. Some commentators, however, have suggested perceptual indicators suffer from methodological weaknesses associated with their validity, interpretability, completeness, and utility. Each of these possible weaknesses is addressed in some detail. New research evidence and certain philosophical perspectives are presented, and it is concluded that none of these presumed weaknesses is sufficient to invalidate the development and use of perceptual indicators. Suggestions are made concerning methodological research needed to support the development of indicators of perceived well-being. It is noted that the materials and results developed in the author's research on Americans' perceptions of life quality may be useful for suggesting approaches to the development of indicators of perceived life quality relevant to other cultures.     

Measures of the perceived overall quality of life

Respondents participating in a national quality of life study were asked to assess their levels of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with each of a set of fifteen domains of their lives. They were also asked to describe their lives as a whole, using both satis-faction and semantic-differential types of scales. Canonical correlation analysis was used to find the combinations of domain-specific and global items with the highest correlation. The two indices derived from this analysis, the Index of Well-being and the Index of Domain Satisfactions, have been examined in relation to a variety of demographic and situational variables, including age, indicators of socioeconomic status, employment status, and size of community. The relationships discovered provide some preliminary evidence for the validity of these indices. The reliability of the measures (as measured cross-sectionally) and their stability over a period of some eight months are both acceptably high. We conclude that both of these measures form acceptable indicators of the perceived overall quality of life.     

Cultural bias in ratings of perceived life quality

The results of comparative surveys have demonstrated great differences of perceived life quality. Yet there is doubt whether these differences mean that people are really more satisfied in one country than in another. It is generally believed that the responses are distorted by factors such as language, familiarity with concepts like satisfaction, and social desirability pressures. Though often alleged, the truth of these charges has not yet been demonstrated empirically. Ostroot & Snijder (1985) now claim to have demonstrated that about 40% of the difference in satisfaction between the French and Americans is due to ‘cultural bias’: in particular to a rosier outlook of the latter. Yet their arguments labor under two defects: Firstly, their use of the word ‘bias’ is misleading. They do not demonstrate any discrepancy between avowed satisfaction and ‘true’ satisfaction. Speaking of a ‘cultural effect’ would be more appropriate. Secondly, Ostroot & Snyder do not demonstrate that the greater satisfaction of Americans is due to a rosier outlook on their part. The data do not allow the conclusion that Americans hold a rosier view than the French, nor that such a view is responsible for their greater satisfaction.     

Modelling change in perceived quality of life (PQOL)

Almost all previous research on PQOL has examined static relationships. This paper, based on two waves of an Australian panel study (N=677), investigates change. We estimate a model in which changes in PQOL are seen as depending directly on changes in satisfaction with particular domains of life (marriage, job, etc.), which in turn are affected by life events occurring within these domains. This model accords with a “bottom-up” rather than a “top-down” theory of PQOL or well-being (Diener, 1984). Chief interest lies in the strong relationships between domain specific events and changes in domain satisfactions. In previous research life events have been directly linked to PQOL, or to physical or mental illness. The different result here arises from estimating a more appropriate model with an additional link (changes in domain satisfactions) in the chain. From a methodological standpoint, the paper suggests that life events inventories can be valuable research instruments and that recent validity criticisms (e.g. Schroeder and Costa, 1984) have been overstated. The second part of the paper deals with relationships between personality traits, social support and life events. We test hypotheses about links between (1) personality and subsequent life events (2) the “buffering” effects of personality and social support on the impact of adverse events (3) the effects of events on personality. Personality traits apparently do affect the subsequent incidence of life events. Extraversion is associated with favourable subsequent events, and neuroticism with adverse events. Internal locus of control apparently wards off adversity. An alternative hypothesis that these relationships are due to biassed reporting (i.e. personality traits are associated with degrees of bias) appears to be false. Contrary to findings from cross-sectional data, our panel results indicate that neither personality traits nor social support “buffer” the impact of adverse events on PQOL. Finally, life events appears to have small but statistically significant effects in modifying adult personality.     

Cross cultural comparisons of quality of life of Thais and Americans

Comparisons of quality of life (QOL) measures across cultures of countries in different stages of economic development have been very scarce. This study attempts to fill the void in the literature by investigating the level of overall life satisfaction and satisfaction with various domains of lives of Thais and Americans. Additionally, the relationships between satisfaction with domains of life and overall life satisfaction in each culture have been explored. The results of this study indicate that Thais are less satisfied with their lives in general and most of the domains of their lives than Americans. However, both Thais and Americans tend to be more satisfied with their personal domains of lives than environmental domains of lives. In addition, satisfaction with material possessions is found to contribute significantly to overall life satisfaction of Thais but not Americans. This suggests that material wealth or economic development is still a vital mechanism for enhancing QOL of people in Thailand, but is not important for enhancing QOL of people in the U.S.     

The perceived quality of life in Norway: Regional variations and contextual effects

This article deals with perceived quality of life and its relationship to sociodemographic background variables in Norway. We try to answer two questions, viz (1) to what extent does the absolute level of quality of life as well as the relationships between quality of life and individual-level sociodemographic variables vary between Norwegian counties? and (2) are such variations related to specific characteristics of the various counties? Some between-county variation is found, but in most cases the pattern of variation is not replicated across surveys. For variation in the absolute level of QOL as well as in the relationship between an individual's education and QOL, however, there is a moderate degree of stability. Contextual analyses show that the relationship between education and QOL is positive and moderately strong in affluent counties, near zero or negative in economically more backward areas. The results are interpreted within the framework of a person-environment fit model.     

Subjective health,intimacy, and perceived self-efficacy after heart attack: Predicting life quality five years afterwards

Social Indicators Research - In a national sample of some 400 cardiac patients and their wives, changes in quality of life were investigated during an extended period of physical and psychosocial...     

Economic disadvantage,perceived family life quality,and emotional well-being in Chinese adolescents: A longitudinal study

Over three consecutive years, Chinese secondary school students experiencing and not experiencing economic disadvantage (n = 280 and 2,187, respectively) responded to measures of perceived family life quality (parenting attributes and parent-child relational quality) and emotional well-being (hopelessness, mastery, life satisfaction and self-esteem). While participants experiencing economic disadvantage generally had more negative perceptions of parenting quality and parent-child relational quality than did adolescents not experiencing economic disadvantage, the differences were more pronounced for the father-adolescent dyad than for the mother-adolescent dyad. Emotional well-being was also different in adolescents with and without economic disadvantage. Although adolescents experiencing different intensity of economic disadvantage differed on some paternal parenting processes, no related differences were observed for other measures of family life quality and emotional well-being. The present study fills the research gap pertinent to the relationship between economic disadvantage and family as well as emotional quality of life in early adolescence in the Chinese culture. This work was financially supported by the Research Grants Council of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Hong Kong (Grant CUHK4293/03H) and Wofoo Foundation. The author wishes to thank Britta Lee and Joyce Chow for their assistance in collecting the data.     

Developing measures of perceived life quality: Results from several national surveys

This report presents the current status of a series of studies oriented toward the assessment of perceived life quality. The conceptual model proposes that a person's overall sense of life quality is understandable as a combination of affective responses to life ‘domains’, which are of two types-role situations and values. Over 100 items used to measure a wide variety of domains and 28 items assessing perceived overall life quality are presented. Various subsets of these items were used in interviews with several representative samples of American adults. Based on these data the domain items were grouped into a smaller number of semi-independent clusters which were internally stable across 10 different subgroups of the respondents and whose interrelationships were highly replicable in independent national samples. A series of analyses, some replicated in more than one survey showed: (1) an additive combination of 12 selected domains explained 50–60% of the variance in an index of overall life quality, (2) neither other domains nor several social characteristic variables contributed additional explanatory power, (3) this level of explanation was achieved in each of 22 subgroups of the population, and (4) additive combinations of domains worked as well as more complicated combinations.     

Level and correlates of perceived quality of life for Lao Hmong refugees in Nebraska

The purpose of this study was to determine the perceived global quality of life and the sense of well-being for thirteen specific domains of life experience for 145 Lao Hmong refugees in Nebraska. In addition, the study examined the relationship between the thirteen domains of life experience, four demographic variables, and perceived global quality of life. Because the refugee population studied was largely illiterate in English as well as their native language, a special questionnaire format was developed to allow them confidentiality in responding. An analysis of the data indicated that the Lao Hmong living in Nebraska were generally satisfied with their global life quality and its various domains. The statistical tests used showed the importance of one's view of Self in determining life quality. The study provided data on a unique minority group that has not previously been studied in terms of perceived quality of life.     

Unequal perceived quality of life among elderly Italians: different satisfaction levels in selected spheres life

Social Indicators Research -     

The prediction of perceived well-being

Regression analysis of data from a sample of Northwestern Wisconsin residents shows that a limited number of domain satisfactions accounts for a significant proportion of the variance in life satisfaction. Most life satisfaction is derived from domains which are personal, broader in scope, and central to the individual, and which gain ascendency in the social and psychological life space of the individual as a result of differences in sex, age and income. Satisfaction with health, family and even community override work satisfaction as the main source of men's life satisfaction, while satisfaction with family life easily overwhelms other domain satisfactions as predictors of the life satisfaction of women. Also, the effect of family satisfaction is much stronger for women than men, and during the socially and biologically most productive years of life than in maturity. The contribution of satisfaction with sparetime activities, family, work, etc. to the life satisfaction of the elderly is consistent with a theory of re-engagement in fewer but more meaningful roles. Income differences do not sharply discriminate among the predictors, except at the extremes. Overall, the study demonstrates the efficacy of domain satisfaction measures as predictors of life satisfaction.     

Gender differences in health promotion behaviors and quality of life among community-dwelling elderly

The differences of basic attributes, health promotion behaviors, and quality of life between elderly males and females in Taiwan were compared. Several scales were used to examine the gender differences and the factors associated with quality of life. Regression analysis revealed that gender, education level, depression level, and healthy diet were key factors influencing the overall quality of life. The education level of females was lower, and their depression level was higher; however, females had healthier diets. With regards to their satisfaction in the quality of life, elderly males scored higher than females in both the physical and psychological domains.     

Gender differences in the relationship of social activity and quality of life in community-dwelling Taiwanese elders

This study explores the gender differences in the relationship between social activity and quality of life (QOL). A cross-sectional survey of 220 community-dwelling elderly people was conducted in southern Taiwan. Social activity was classified into six categories. The brief version of the World Health Organization QOL (WHOQOL-BREF) was used to measure QOL. Findings revealed that the associations of six types of social activities with QOL were weaker among women than men. The regression analyses further showed that for women, only religious activity was positively related to total QOL, while for men only involvement in formal group activity was positively related to total QOL.     

Racial differences in dimensions of neighborhood satisfaction

In our research we seek to determine whether black/white differences in neighborhood satisfaction, as reported in the literature, result from racial differences in satisfaction with specific dimensions of neighborhood characteristics. We find that there are racial differences in satisfaction with two dimensions of neighborhood characteristics but not in a third. These racial differences do not, however, translate into a racial difference in overall neighborhood satisfaction because the two dimensions of satisfaction related to race have no effect on overall neighborhood satisfaction while the dimension which is unrelated to race has a strong effect on it. The implications of these findings for urban policy and future research are discussed.     

Feminism and the quality of life

A measure of feminism is introduced, and a case is made for the acceptability of its levels of reliability, criterion-related, content, construct and discriminant-validity. Feminism is shown to be related to such features of the quality of life as happiness and being a good person. Survey results are reported from a sample of 431 members of the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women and 413 undergraduate women from the University of Guelph.     

Genetics and the quality of life

Thanks to recent innovations in medicine, it is now possible to detect many so-called genetic diseases' before birth. Consequently, there is a growing movement amongst the medical fraternity advocating genetic counseling: the detection and abortion of diseased fetuses, before birth. This paper considers the implications of this practice on the general quality of life, examining in some detail cost-benefit analyses of the most extensive screening and counseling programme to date, the Kennedy Institute project aimed at reducing the numbers of North American Jewish children born with Tay-Sachs disease. It is argued that although genetic counseling clearly does hold prospects for improving the quality of life in some respects, nevertheless it raises many questions (e.g. to do with minorities and the poor), and care must be taken lest-stampeded by the enthusiasms of medical researchers-overall the quality of life declines.     

Work status and the quality of life

The general thesis from which this paper derived is that objective conditions are related to perceptions and evaluations of those conditions, but that such relationships are mediated by personal characteristics such as expectation and aspiration levels, and other motivational factors. The specific relationship examined is that between work status and overall life satisfaction among women. Although there is little difference in average levels of life satisfaction expressed by housewives and by women working outside the home, substantial differences emerge when women are distinguished by their motivation with respect to paid work: among women who want jobs, working women are more satisfied with their lives than are housewives; while among those who would prefer not to work, housewives are more satisfied. Evidence is also found in support of a hypothesis that work tends to be less central to the overall quality of women's lives than is true for men.