Developments in Satisfaction Research

This paper reviews advances in the study of satisfaction in the context of Social Indicators Research. Five developments are considered: 1) changes in the conceptualization of satisfaction, 2) advances in the measurement of satisfaction, 3) growth of a significant body of comparative data on satisfaction, 4) the map of satisfaction that emerges from these developments, 5) resulting advances in understanding of the appraisal-process, and 6) developments in the use of the satisfaction concept in wider conceptions of welfare. Social Indicators Research is concerned with the measurement of quality-of-life in society. The focus is on description: how well citizens live ('level' of living) and whether life gets better or not (social 'progress'). Quality of life is conceived in two ways: as 'objective-' and as 'subjective' quality of life. 'Objective' quality-of-life is the degree to which living-conditions meet observable criteria of the good life, such as: income security for everybody, safety in the street, good health care, education, etc. In this context the prefix 'objective' refers to the way of measurement. Measurement is based on explicit criteria of success that can be applied by impartial outsiders. 'Subjective' quality of life is how people appreciate their life personally. For example, how secure they think their income is, how safe they feel in the street, how satisfied they are with their health and education, etc. Here the prefix 'subjective' means that criteria for judgement may vary from person to person. In this case, standards are not explicit, and external judgement is not possible. Subjective appraisals often involve judgements in terms of 'satisfaction'. That is: summary evaluations of how well one likes something. Satisfaction is a central concept in research on subjective quality-of-life. All quality-of-life surveys involve questions on the matter This paper is about the concept of satisfaction in Social Indicator Research. It reviews five developments: 1) changes in the conceptualization of satisfaction, 2) advances in the measurement of satisfaction, 3) growth of a significant body of comparative data on satisfaction, 4) the tentative map of satisfaction that emerges from these developments, 5) resulting changes in understanding of satisfaction, and lastly, 6) developments in the use of the satisfaction concept in wider conceptions of welfare.