Abstract

The article discusses how wellbeing, life satisfaction, trust and quality of life are measured in the context of research carried out for social reporting and monitoring reports on objective and subjective indicators in Europe. The author provides an overview of crucial developments in the field over the last 60 years and discusses the different approaches and contributions by national statistical offices, research institutes and international organizations. On the basis of recent evidence, the article suggests that social indicators can offer a most useful contribution to understanding the origins of the current economic crisis as well as it evolution and future prospects.