The significance of societal well-being and the possibility of its research in the contemporary Hungarian society I. Quality of life, economic growth, and the National Well-being Index

Abstract

The study consists of two parts. In the first part, we present the most important correlations between individual and social differences of quality of life, respectively their relationship with social characteristics and economic development. The results of numerous research studies indicate that economic development in itself does not lead to the improvement of well-being. Moreover, according to some models, there is an inverse relationship between them: the existence of psychological resources precedes economic development. Since 1983, our work group has been studying quality of life and its changes in the Hungarian population by the help of uniquely comprehensive national representative surveys. In this study, based on the findings of our national surveys and the international results, we propose the development of a National Well-being Index. By the regular measurement of this index, quality of life in the Hungarian population could be monitored. Thus, it would be possible to check how the degree of economic development correlates with the well-being of the individuals and the whole society in the long term.