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Years of good life is a well-being indicator designed to serve research on sustainability

Author

Listed:
  • Wolfgang Lutz

    (Department of Demography, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria; International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria; Vienna Institute of Demography, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austrian Academy of Sciences and University of Vienna, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria)

  • Erich Striessnig

    (Department of Demography, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austrian Academy of Sciences and University of Vienna, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria;)

  • Anna Dimitrova

    (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria; Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austrian Academy of Sciences and University of Vienna, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, 92093)

  • Simone Ghislandi

    (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria; Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austrian Academy of Sciences and University of Vienna, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria; Department of Social and Political Sciences, Bocconi University, 20136 Milan, Italy)

  • Anastasia Lijadi

    (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria; Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austrian Academy of Sciences and University of Vienna, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria)

  • Claudia Reiter

    (Department of Demography, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria; International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria; Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austrian Academy of Sciences and University of Vienna, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria)

  • Sonja Spitzerr

    (Department of Demography, University of Vienna, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austrian Academy of Sciences and University of Vienna, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria)

  • Dilek Yildiz

    (International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria; Vienna Institute of Demography, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1030 Vienna, Austria; Wittgenstein Centre for Demography and Global Human Capital, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Austrian Academy of Sciences and University of Vienna, 2361 Laxenburg, Austria)

Abstract

Sustainable development (SD) as popularized by the Brundtland Commission and politically enshrined in the Sustainable Development Goals has been the explicit focus of sustainability science. While there is broad agreement that the trend of human well-being ( W ) over time should serve as a sustainability criterion, the literature so far has mostly addressed this in terms of its determinants rather than focusing on W itself. There is broad agreement that an indicator for W should have multiple constituents, clearly going beyond gross domestic product. Here, we propose a tailor-made indicator to serve precisely this purpose following a set of specified desiderata, including its applicability to flexibly defined subnational populations by gender, place of residence, ethnicity, and other relevant characteristics. The indicator, years of good life (YoGL), reflects the evident fact that in order to be able to enjoy any quality of life, one has to be alive and thus is primarily based on life expectancy. However, since mere survival is not considered good enough, life years are counted conditional on meeting minimum standards in two dimensions: the objective dimension of capable longevity (consisting of being out of absolute poverty and enjoying minimal levels of physical and cognitive health) and the subjective dimension of overall life satisfaction. We illustrate the calculation of this indicator for countries and subpopulations at different stages of development and with different degrees of data availability.

Suggested Citation

  • Wolfgang Lutz & Erich Striessnig & Anna Dimitrova & Simone Ghislandi & Anastasia Lijadi & Claudia Reiter & Sonja Spitzerr & Dilek Yildiz, 2021. "Years of good life is a well-being indicator designed to serve research on sustainability," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 118(12), pages 1907351118-, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:nas:journl:v:118:y:2021:p:e1907351118
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Claudia Reiter & Sonja Spitzer, 2021. "Well-being in Europe: decompositions by country and gender for the population aged 50+," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 19(1), pages 383-415.
    2. Erich Striessnig & Claudia Reiter & Anna Dimitrova, 2021. "Global improvements in Years of Good Life since 1950," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 19(1), pages 141-167.
    3. Magdalena Muszyńska-Spielauer & Marc Luy, 2022. "Well-Being Adjusted Health Expectancy: A New Summary Measure of Population Health," European Journal of Population, Springer;European Association for Population Studies, vol. 38(5), pages 1009-1031, December.
    4. Thananon Buathong & Anna Dimitrova & Paolo Miguel M. Vicerra & Montakarn Chimmamee, 2021. "Years of Good Life: An illustration of a new well-being indicator using data for Thailand," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 19(1), pages 547-583.

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