The Social Indicators Movement: Progress, Paradigms, Puzzles, Promise and Potential Research Directions

Area of Science:

• Social Sciences
• Sociology
• Quality of Life Studies

Background:

• The Social Indicators Movement has a 50-year history, influencing concepts of quality of life and well-being.
• A review of the movement's development and future research needs is presented.

Purpose of the Study:

• To respond to Land and Michalos' (2015) review of the Social Indicators Movement.
• To highlight five key issues: progress, paradigms, puzzles, promise, and research directions.
• To discuss the potential of social indicators research for improving quality of life.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and critical analysis of the Social Indicators Movement.
• Discussion of research paradigms, including positivistic, post-positivistic, interpretive, constructionist, and critical theory perspectives.
• Identification and discussion of key research puzzles and future directions.

Main Results:

• Progress has been made, but some initial goals remain unachieved.
• Positivistic and post-positivistic paradigms dominate, with limited use of other perspectives.
• Key puzzles include integrating qualitative data, evaluating programs, assessing social progress, indicator selection, interpretation, and explaining social change.

Conclusions:

• Social indicators research has potential for promoting quality of life.
• Further research is needed to address existing puzzles and explore diverse methodological and theoretical approaches.
• Integrating qualitative data and addressing methodological debates are crucial for advancing the field.