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'''Standard of living''' is generally [[measured]] by [[standards]] such as real (i.e. inflation adjusted) income per [[person]] and poverty rate. Other measures such as [[access]] and [[quality]] of [[health]] care, income [[growth]] inequality and [[educational]] standards are also used. Examples are access to certain goods (such as number of refrigerators per 1000 people), or measures of [[health]] such as life expectancy. It is the ease by which people living in a time or place are able to satisfy their needs and/or wants.
The [[idea]] of a 'standard' may be [[contrasted]] with the [[quality of life]], which takes into account not only the [[material]] [[standard]] of living, but also other more intangible aspects that make up human life, such as [[leisure]], safety, cultural [[resources]], [[social]] life, [[physical]] [[health]], [[environmental]] [[quality]] issues etc. More [[complex]] means of measuring well-being must be employed to make such [[judgments]], and these are very often [[political]], thus controversial. Even between two [[nations]] or [[societies]] that have similar [[material]] [[standards]] of living, [[quality of life]] [[factors]] may in fact make one of these places more [[attractive]] to a given [[individual]] or [[group]].
However, there can be [[problems]] even with just using numerical [[averages]] to [[compare]] [[material]] ''standards of living'', as opposed to, for instance, a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_index Pareto index] (a measure of the breadth of income or [[wealth]] [[distribution]]). Standards of living are perhaps [[inherently]] [[subjective]]. As an example, countries with a very small, very rich upper class and a very large, very poor lower class may have a high mean level of income, even though the [[majority]] of people have a low "standard of living". This [[mirrors]] the problem of [[poverty]] measurement, which also tends towards the [[relative]]. This illustrates how [[distribution]] of income can [[disguise]] the actual standard of living.
Likewise Country A, a perfectly socialist country with a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_economy planned economy] with very low average per capita income would receive a higher score for having lower income inequality than Country B with a higher income inequality, even if the bottom of Country B's [[population]] [[distribution]] had a higher per capita income than Country A. Real examples of this include former [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Germany East Germany] compared to former [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Germany West Germany] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea North Korea] [[compared]] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea South Korea]. In each case, the socialist country has a low income discrepancy (and therefore would score high in that regard), but lower per capita incomes than a large [[majority]] of their neighboring counterpart. This can be avoided by using the measure of income at various percentiles of the [[population]] rather than a highly [[relative]] and controversial overall income inequality measure.
A Standard of Living Index has been published annually since 1980 by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Living International Living]. As of 31 December 2009 this showed 1 France, 2 Australia, 3 Switzerland, 4 Germany, 5 New Zealand, 6 Luxembourg, 7 USA, 8 Belgium, 9 Canada, 10 Italy, 25 UK, 47 Israel, 194 Somalia.
==Quote==
At first life was a struggle for [[existence]]; now, for a [[standard of living]]; next it will be for [[quality]] of [[thinking]], the coming earthly goal of [[human]] [[existence]].[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_81#81:6._THE_MAINTENANCE_OF_CIVILIZATION]
==References==
# Butterworth, Myra (January 6, 2010). "[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/6943343/Britains-quality-of-life-worse-than-former-Communist-countries.html Britain's quality of life worse than former Communist countries]". Telegraph.co.uk.
# "[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3830832,00.html Israel ranked 47th in standard of living index]". Ynetnews. January 6, 2010.
==External links==
* [http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/IndustrialRevolutionandtheStandardofLiving.html Industrial Revolution and the Standard of Living] by Freddy Madero
[[Category: Sociology]]
'''Standard of living''' is generally [[measured]] by [[standards]] such as real (i.e. inflation adjusted) income per [[person]] and poverty rate. Other measures such as [[access]] and [[quality]] of [[health]] care, income [[growth]] inequality and [[educational]] standards are also used. Examples are access to certain goods (such as number of refrigerators per 1000 people), or measures of [[health]] such as life expectancy. It is the ease by which people living in a time or place are able to satisfy their needs and/or wants.
The [[idea]] of a 'standard' may be [[contrasted]] with the [[quality of life]], which takes into account not only the [[material]] [[standard]] of living, but also other more intangible aspects that make up human life, such as [[leisure]], safety, cultural [[resources]], [[social]] life, [[physical]] [[health]], [[environmental]] [[quality]] issues etc. More [[complex]] means of measuring well-being must be employed to make such [[judgments]], and these are very often [[political]], thus controversial. Even between two [[nations]] or [[societies]] that have similar [[material]] [[standards]] of living, [[quality of life]] [[factors]] may in fact make one of these places more [[attractive]] to a given [[individual]] or [[group]].
However, there can be [[problems]] even with just using numerical [[averages]] to [[compare]] [[material]] ''standards of living'', as opposed to, for instance, a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_index Pareto index] (a measure of the breadth of income or [[wealth]] [[distribution]]). Standards of living are perhaps [[inherently]] [[subjective]]. As an example, countries with a very small, very rich upper class and a very large, very poor lower class may have a high mean level of income, even though the [[majority]] of people have a low "standard of living". This [[mirrors]] the problem of [[poverty]] measurement, which also tends towards the [[relative]]. This illustrates how [[distribution]] of income can [[disguise]] the actual standard of living.
Likewise Country A, a perfectly socialist country with a [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planned_economy planned economy] with very low average per capita income would receive a higher score for having lower income inequality than Country B with a higher income inequality, even if the bottom of Country B's [[population]] [[distribution]] had a higher per capita income than Country A. Real examples of this include former [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Germany East Germany] compared to former [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Germany West Germany] or [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korea North Korea] [[compared]] to [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Korea South Korea]. In each case, the socialist country has a low income discrepancy (and therefore would score high in that regard), but lower per capita incomes than a large [[majority]] of their neighboring counterpart. This can be avoided by using the measure of income at various percentiles of the [[population]] rather than a highly [[relative]] and controversial overall income inequality measure.
A Standard of Living Index has been published annually since 1980 by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Living International Living]. As of 31 December 2009 this showed 1 France, 2 Australia, 3 Switzerland, 4 Germany, 5 New Zealand, 6 Luxembourg, 7 USA, 8 Belgium, 9 Canada, 10 Italy, 25 UK, 47 Israel, 194 Somalia.
==Quote==
At first life was a struggle for [[existence]]; now, for a [[standard of living]]; next it will be for [[quality]] of [[thinking]], the coming earthly goal of [[human]] [[existence]].[http://nordan.daynal.org/wiki/index.php?title=Paper_81#81:6._THE_MAINTENANCE_OF_CIVILIZATION]
==References==
# Butterworth, Myra (January 6, 2010). "[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/6943343/Britains-quality-of-life-worse-than-former-Communist-countries.html Britain's quality of life worse than former Communist countries]". Telegraph.co.uk.
# "[http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3830832,00.html Israel ranked 47th in standard of living index]". Ynetnews. January 6, 2010.
==External links==
* [http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/IndustrialRevolutionandtheStandardofLiving.html Industrial Revolution and the Standard of Living] by Freddy Madero
[[Category: Sociology]]
