Quality of life: the 90 indicators to measure well-being

The survey of a journalistic nature has always been dictated by certain guidelines: the topicality of the subject photographed; the need for the data to be updated to the most recent year and certified (validated) by institutional or authoritative sources; the weight of the subject represented must be balanced among the 90 indicators in order to recount all aspects of well-being in a balanced manner. The magnifying glass used (the Q for Quality of Life, also represented in the survey logo) is that of the editorial staff of Il Sole 24 Ore, which in 1990 decided to produce the ranking in-house - independently -, starting from two awarenesses: no scientific method can ever guarantee, in absolute terms, the objectivity of any ranking; the selection of the indicators can always be discussed. However, the editorial choice of indicators, summarised through the 'narrative device' of the ranking, allows the country to be told through numbers, revealing fragilities and best practices.

The 90 indicators - all equally weighted - are then divided into the six thematic rankings that characterise the survey:

1) Wealth and consumption: economic availability and spending power;

2) Business and work: business and employment opportunities;

3) Demography, health and society: living and health conditions, education levels;

4) Environment and services: climate and environmental protection, quality and efficiency of services;

5) Justice and security: complaints, torts, incidents and litigation;

6) Culture and leisure: cultural offer, leisure time venues and services.

The method used is not a scientific method, but a simple average of the averages of the scores achieved by the 107 provinces in the 90 indicators, re-measured from zero to one thousand.

Finally, nine synthetic indices, already published during the year, contribute to the final result, allowing us to go even deeper into certain areas: these are indices that aggregate several parameters in a thematic way, elaborated by third-party institutes or directly by Il Sole 24 Ore (to get to know them in detail, see the graphic on the right).

These include the 'Sportiness Index', compiled by Pts, which for almost 20 years has been measuring the spread and quality of sport in the territory; the 'Urban Ecosystem' by Legambiente on environmental data from cities.

Also moving in this direction are the "vertical" indices of Quality of Life, such as the "climate index", renewed by the editors in March to report on climate parameters (including sunshine, heat waves, humidity, extreme events and rainfall), through data provided by 3Bmeteo on the decade 2012-2024. Or the three generational indices of the Quality of Life of Children, Young People and the Elderly, each consisting of 12 sub-indicators to measure services and living conditions by age group. Finally, the Quality of Life for Women (defined by 14 indicators, two more than last year), now in its fifth edition. All indicators, including the methodological note, are available on the website www.qualitadellavita.ilsole24ore.com.