- Many measures of quality of life look at objective factors such as life expectancy, infant mortality, literacy levels, homelessness and death from easily treated diseases such as diarrhea. Under such measures, developing countries are usually found to have a low quality of life. On a national level, economic factors such as gross domestic product (GDP) and employment rates are used to measure the capacity of a country to attend to the needs of its citizens.
- Subjective measures of quality of life are typically taken by gathering survey or questionnaire data from individual and group interview subjects. The reasoning behind seeking subjective data is that the subjects themselves are the best authority on their own quality of life. Often the results are reported in such terms as a sense of safety, or a belief in the economic ability to maintain a certain lifestyle or to attain particular goals, such as providing college education for children or purchasing a home.
- In addition to objective and subjective measures of quality of life, there are quality-of-life measurement indicators that attempt to present a more holistic picture of what constitutes quality of life. One example of a quality-of-life measurement gauge are the Calvert-Henderson Quality of Life Indicators, which actually comprise a number of measures developed from a multidisciplinary approach. The Calvert-Henderson Quality of Life Indicators take measurements across categories such as education, shelter, environment and public safety.
- A small nation located in the Himalayas, Bhutan measures the state of its citizens' well-being by a standard called Gross National Happiness (GNH). GNH has been in place in Bhutan since 1972, when it was instituted by its then newly crowned monarch, King Jigme Singye Wangchuck. According to an October 4, 2005, article in the New York Times by Andrew C. Revkin, GNH is based on the premise that the resources of Bhutan should be shared across its entire society. There was also a desire to balance the varied goals of "preserving cultural traditions, protecting the environment and maintaining a responsive government," notes Revkin. The measurement has since gained publicity worldwide.
- The Popsicle Index was developed by Catherine Austin Fitts to bring the discussion of quality of life literally to the street level. The Popsicle Index is measured by whether residents of a particular neighborhood believe that an unsupervised child could travel to the nearest store, buy a Popsicle and return home safely. This deceptively simple query actually addresses such issues as crime, traffic, availability of neighborhood amenities and even whether parents would be able to afford to give children the change necessary to make the trip to the store. The Popsicle Index varies according to the issues facing the residents of a particular neighborhood. In this respect, it is much like the subjective measures mentioned above. The difference is that some aspects of the Popsicle Index, such as crime and income levels, can actually be measured objectively.
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