“Satisfied Life Years” in the former Yugoslav countries

Abstract

This paper proposes a subjective indicator of quality of life. The author defines this indicator as Satisfied Life Years (SLY) based on the fact that being alive is an essential prerequisite for enjoying any quality of life. While life expectancy is at the basis of this indicator, SLY also reflects that mere survival is not enough; therefore, life years are combined with the subjective assessment of satisfaction with different domains of life. Based on data from the EU-SILC survey and WHO life tables, the author uses the well-established Sullivan method. SLY are calculated by weighting in a life table the age-specific person-years lived with age-specific proportions of satisfaction with different domains of life (health, financial situation, personal relationships, living environment, and happiness). The subjective character of SLY makes it adequate for assessing and comparing the quality of life in homogeneous nations/countries/regions. Therefore, the focus of the paper is on the former Yugoslavia given the similarities in terms of mentality and cultural characteristics in the republics. The main results indicate the following: (1) there is a large gap of as much as 25 years (on average for former Yugoslav republics) between total years of life and actually satisfied years; (2) the economic and ecological dimensions are the dimensions with the most dissatisfaction of quality of life in the former Yugoslav republics; (3) happiness is associated with a good relationship with family, friends, and colleagues as well as good health in all former Yugoslav republics, which reflects the traditional background in the former Yugoslav region.