Happiness research is on the rise, but is confounded by competing definitions of subjective well-being based on co-existing concepts, resulting in differing measures and giving rise to different potential policy applications. This paper motivates the societal necessity for using well-being indicators and gives a short overview of the relation between the concepts ‘subjective well-being’, ‘affect’, ‘life satisfaction’, and ‘happiness’. It describes their measurements and operationalizations in surveys, illustrates their philosophical roots, discusses their validity and reliability, and attempts to shed light on the scope of their policy applicability. Focus of this paper is on practical issues when applying measures of subjective well-being for policy evaluations. Target audiences of this paper are the interested public and laypersons, non-expert economists, and statisticians.
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Paper provided by University Library of Munich, Germany in its series MPRA Paper with number
16619.
Find related papers by JEL classification: I31 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare and Poverty - - - General Welfare C33 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Models with Panel Data C13 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric and Statistical Methods: General - - - Estimation D31 - Microeconomics - - Distribution - - - Personal Income and Wealth Distribution Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General C81 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Data Collection and Data Estimation Methodology; Computer Programs - - - Microeconomic Data B11 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - History of Economic Thought through 1925 - - - Preclassical (Ancient, Medieval, Mercantilist, Physiocratic) D01 - Microeconomics - - General - - - Microeconomic Behavior: Underlying Principles
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References listed on IDEAS Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:
Ateca-Amestoy, Victoria & Serrano-del-Rosal, Rafael & Vera-Toscano, Esperanza, 2008.
"The leisure experience,"
The Journal of Socio-Economics,
Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 64-78, February.
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