We explain what quality of life is and what are the ways to measure it. Factors that influence it, and indicators of quality of life.
What is quality of life?
The meaning of quality of life is complex, since it is a concept that we use to refer to economic, social and political variablesamong others, that directly impact human life. However, there is no consensus regarding what quality of life is, so there are definitions from different fields of knowledge, such as sociology, politics, medicine, etc.
What does exist is a more or less defined criterion regarding which countries and regions offer life models to their population that allow for greater development of their potential and, in general terms, a fuller life.
Thus, different international organizations are responsible for measuring this quality of life. And they do so through specific methods that focus their attention on various aspects of human life in society, to develop a development index that allows stratifying geographic and national regions based on which offers the best conditions for living.
In the past, this type of analysis was carried out considering only the economic aspects of the country, such as economic growth or industrial production, but in recent times this type of approach has been discarded because it reduces the quality of human life to minimum material conditions. leaving out many other variables.
See also: Quality control
How is quality of life measured?
To measure quality of life, statistical information, surveys, social, cultural and medical reviews are usually used, usually focused on three primary aspects:
- Life expectancy or longevity.
- The educational level throughout the country and social classes.
- The Gross Domestic Product per capita.
The HDI (Human Development Index) proposed by the UN through the UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) is currently determined from these three indicators. The countries with the highest HDI in the world are Norway, New Zealand, Australia, Sweden, Canada and Japan.
Quality of life factors
Broadly speaking, numerous and different factors can be identified that intervene for better or worse in the quality of life of societies, depending on how one does their study. We could, however, group them into very general categories:
- Environmental context. Wars, political instabilities, extreme economic or work conditions largely determine the quality of life of an individual or a human group, based on the consequences that their historical context exerts on them.
- Social environment. The degree of insertion in society, family support, the presence of protective institutions or social marginalization are also variables that come into play when thinking about quality of life. In fact, individuals from the same region can have different qualities of life according to their social environment.
- Vital conditions. Wealth and poverty, real opportunities, in short, the conditions in which an individual comes into the world and develops directly affect their opportunities and their quality of life in general.
- Personal satisfaction. At very personal levels, individual decisions and the unique way of dealing with all of the above conditions are also important factors in an individual's quality of life.
- Culture and society. The cultural conditions exerted on an individual or a group of them by the rest of the community or by themselves cannot be left aside either.
Quality of life indicators
In the statistical study of quality of life, the indicators of quality of life are objectively examined: the elements that must be questioned to get an idea of the way societies live. Some of them are:
- Material conditions. Wealth, access to savings, type of housing, etc.
- Job. Work zone (formal, informal, illegal), salary, employment conditions, etc.
- Health. Access to medical services, medicines, daily hygiene conditions, etc.
- Education. Formal academic level achieved, access to education at all levels, etc.
- Leisure and social relations. Access to entertainment, amount of free time, level of integration into society, emotional ties, etc.
- Physical and personal security. Regarding living conditions, work, etc.
- Basic rights. Protection (or helplessness) from State institutions, etc.
- Environment and environment. Geographic conditions of life, immediate environment of vital development, etc.
Continue with: Living conditions