ABSTRACT
In the previous chapter, we saw that quality of life is commonly regarded as a measurable characteristic of individuals or groups of people. We found that the earliest systematic attempts to measure it were made by social indicators researchers, and we noted several important characteristics of their work. These included the debate between those who regard quality of life as an objective state that can be measured by collecting social statistics of various kinds; and those who define it in subjective terms, arguing that the level of quality of life is something that can only be judged by each individual concerned. We also noted that a considerable discrepancy often exists between subjective and objective measures of quality of life, and a number of explanations for this were discussed.
