Social Indicators: Meaning, Methods & Applications

Social scientists from different disciplines, as well as national and international organizations, have contributed to the development of social indicators in the 1970s. Different models have been constructed, and many nations and international bodies now publish social indicator compendia. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development provides a list of social concerns and indicators specified for their measurement. Social indicators have been called statistics that reflect the human condition and which aid in the understanding of and planning for social change. The variety in the definitions of social indicators reflects the different functions they serve. In terms of use, they serve in the social environment as keys to concepts, media of reporting, signposts of change, codes to systems, and guidelines to policy. They are oriented towards needs and goals within the complete range of human societal activities and aspirations with reference to some or all social concerns and their interaction. They are based on objective criteria and on subjective perceptions of the adequacy and quality of life.