Theoretical Considerations for the Hungarian Well-Being Indicator System

Kelemen, Rita – Kincses, Áron

Keywords: well-being, indicator system, subjective variables, life satisfaction

The conceptual framework of our research is fitted to considering well-being as a multidimensional phenomenon that can be difficult to squeeze into disciplinary frameworks. The well-being of people can be measured according to both objective and subjective factors. However, among these factors we can differentiate between individual and social factors. There is no universally accepted definition of well-being. In the literature, wellbeing is mentioned as an assessment, as an abstraction and as a dynamic status. In our view, well-being means the individual’s mental and physical status infl uenced mutually by self, by his or her environment and by society. This status includes the person’s general satisfaction with his or her own life, the conditions of his or her participation in the community, the objective quality and the subjective feeling of life. The well-being state is variable over time.
Reviewing the literature on well-being, it becomes clear that when constructing the Hungarian indicator system of well-being the goal is not to adopt a European indicatorsystem, but it is necessary to build and develop a new indicator system based on a structure that takes the Hungarian characteristics into account.
We accept the multi-dimensional objective list theory approach as the framework of a Hungarian indicator system. In our opinion, when collecting indicators for an indicator system, it is necessary to take the objective, subjective and self-reported indicators into account, referring to both horizontal and vertical (individuals, social groups and society at large) sections.
Based on our presented arguments, the above objectives can be comprehended by the separation of the following: material living conditions; work and leisure time; education, knowledge and skills; health; mental well-being; living environment and infrastructure; social capital and social participation; and social renewal.

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