Measuring Quality of Life – a new way forward for official statistics? Niels Ploug, Director of Social Statistics, Statistics Denmark

The why  GDP is not measuring important issues like development in quality, non-market social services and home production  This can lead to a gap between GDP as a measurement of social development and what is actually going on 2 Joseph Stiglitz

Gap between input and output based GDP 3

Gap between thriving and GDP 4

Gap between paid work, unpaid work and leisure – min. per day. 5

Gap between perception and reality 6

Definition: the extent to which people are able to participate in the social, economic and cultural life of their communities under conditions which enhance their well-being and individual potential Beck, et al, 1992 Origins and Meaning of Quality of Life

The how: Four Conditional Factors of Social Quality Socio-economic security Social inclusion Social cohesion Social empowerment Origins and Meaning of Quality of Life

Social Quality Factors Factors

Domains

Life Domains in European System of Social Indicators Population Households and families Housing Transport Leisure/media/culture Social and political participation/integration Education and vocational training Labour market and working conditions Income/standard of living/consumption patterns Health Environment Social security Public safety and crime Total living situation Source: Noll, 2001

 UK  Italy  OECD  EU  OECD and UK developed very advanced ways of interactive dissemination of statistics Beyond Stiglitz 12

 Data – especially on subjective well being  Getting the indicators right – description version action  Dissemination Challenges 13

 An integrated and well consolidated world wide system for the measurement of quality of life?  Initiatives by the OECD – including Stiglitz II What will the future bring? 14

 Niels Ploug – Director, Social Statistics – Statistics Denmark  Contact: Thank you very much for your attention