Living the good life – Standard of living and quality of life

The big question: What is “standard of living” and how is it measured? The standard of living is the level of material comfort enjoyed by a person or society. This includes the goods and services people consume and the resources that are available to them.

Article 25, part 1, from the United Nations's Universal Declaration of Human Rights :Universal Declaration of Human Rights “Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.” **We will study more about human rights later this year.”

Next: textbook asg. – Scandinavia pp. 424 – Name the Scandinavian countries. Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland 2.What is “cradle to grave?” The government provides a large number of services for people throughout their lives. 3. What factors are present in the Scandinavian countries that will increase or decrease their standard of living? (See next slide.)

FactorHow does this factor help or hurt the standard of living? High taxesTaxes can help the standard of living because provide people with services they need, but hurt it because people have less money to spend on other things they need. Agriculture, dairy farming, multi-national corporations, high tech industry, coastline, forest, oil, European Union membership, famous scientists and artists, gender equality, human rights, research and development, high tax for low mileage cars, many ethnic groups

4. (from text asg.) How do we measure standard of living? Complete the chart below using your World in Focus: LiteracyLife expectancy Per capita GDP HDI Denmark99/9978/82$38, Finland99/9978/83$37, Iceland99/9981/84$39, Norway99/9979/83$55, Sweden99/9980/84$41, What is this? A measurement about an entire country that includes life expectancy, education, literacy, and per capita GDP together. This does NOT mean every person has the same HDI. It is expressed as a number between 0 and 1.

Go to the UN website and answer the questions on the next slide;

1.Name 3 regions where the HDI is high. a)___________________________ b. ________________________ c._______________________________ 2. Name 3 countries with an HDI above.90. a)__________________________ b. ________________________ c._______________________________ 3. Move the time slider below the map. What changes are there when you move from 1980 – 2012? ___________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ 4. Click on the tab “DIY HDI.” How many countries do you have to count down to include all 5 Scandinavian countries? ___________________. (Then select/de-select some of the boxes to see if this changes the ranking of a country.) 5.Click on “Database.” This allows you to create your own comparisons. 1)select the US, 2 of the countries of Scandinavia, and 2 from other parts of the world. Note: when you select a country it will NOT be highlighted, but is still selected. You must select a country, click “select” in the middle. Then it shows up on the right. 2) Select indicators of interest to you to compare the countries. 3) Select ) Select download data. 5) Select “rows” option. 6) Click OK when the box comes up. 7) Write 2 sentences analyzing the results of your data chart._________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________

The big question: What is “quality of life” and how is it different from “standard of living?” Quality of life is the subjective level of physical, mental, and social well-being, not only the economic well-being indicated by the standard of living. Financial/ standard of living Happiness spiritual Health and safety Environment/ nature family/friends

Large impact on life in the US Much impact on life in the US Some impact on life in the US Small impact on life in the US War in Afghanistan War in Iraq Election of Barack Obama Economic recession Terrorism Climate change Budget and debt problems How much has each of the following made a difference to life in the United States today? Our class is studying the meaning of “standard of living” and “quality of life.” Your answers will contribute to our class discussion and understanding. Survey discussion

Robert Kennedy on GDP “The gross national product includes air pollution and advertising for cigarettes and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and jails for the people who break them. GNP includes the destruction of the redwoods and the death of Lake Superior. It grows with the production of napalm, and missiles and nuclear warheads... it does not allow for the health of our families, the quality of their education, or the joy of their play. It is indifferent to the decency of our factories and the safety of our streets alike. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, or the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures everything, in short, except that which makes life worthwhile.”

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