Subjective Social Development Index: Conceptualization and Operationalization

Abstract

Background: During the time when Hong Kong’s Social Development Index (SDI) was developed, the author working at The University of Hong Kong also worked on a parallel set of indices to measure Hong Kong people’s subjective perception towards social development. The Subjective Social Development Index (SSDI), along with its 14 sub-indices by social aspects and 5 sub-indices by selected demographic groups are meant to supplement SDI findings in all these domains. Main body: In this paper, the author will discuss how each SSDI item is constructed to match the corresponding SDI measurement, and how these readings have changed over the years. Basically, the SSDI readings are compiled from random telephone surveys, and the wordings used in SSDI surveys are - 'how satisfied are you with Hong Kong’s social development (in certain aspects)' and 'how would you compare the current situation (in this aspect) with that 10 years ago'. To compile the composite scores, respondents are also asked to rate the importance of each social aspect in terms of social development. The surveys are repeated once every two years to match the timing of SDI releases. Discussion: Social development is often measured by objective indicators, like poverty rate, life expectancy, and so on. However, one frequently asks - “is the rich happier than the poor”, “does long life means less suffering”, and so on. Where well-being is concerned, objective achievements must be measured against subjective expectations before achieving satisfaction. This paper is an attempt to bridge the two.