Worldwide and European Methods for Assessing Living Standards

The article argues the theoretical concept of assessing the population’s standard of living, which in conditions of globalization becomes a factor of competitiveness among countries. The authors show some of the methodological concepts used for assessing the quality of life (QL) from a worldwide perspective. Using a wide range of theoretical and statistical information, they describe The Economist Intelligence Unit’s Quality-of-Life Index (QLI). The authors argue that human development can be defined as an enlargement process of opportunities for people to choose from. From the perspective of human development, opportunities for people extend, in most cases, in three critical areas: life expectancy, educational level, and access to economical resources necessary for a decent level of living. All existing methodologies for assessing quality of life express the quality of life but from different perspectives. Human development is both a process and a final result. From the perspective of human development, the authors argue the role and importance of subjective evaluation in public surveys. The article also analyzes the results of public polls conducted in European Union countries by „The Economist Intelligence Unit" during the years 2005, 2007 and 2009, the QL components and draws some conclusions.