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Predicting the quality of life in the United States

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Abstract

A principal components analysis performed by David M. Smith on 47 U.S. state level indicators of social well-being yielded several components. The first two of these are socio-economic well-being and social pathology. Structural hypotheses are offered to explain state differences in these components. The structural variables condensed by a principal components analysis of state political, economic and social structure measures are differentiation, flexibility-rigidity, and progressive industrialization. These, along with several population measures, determine a substantial part of the variance in the two measures of social well-being.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Cornell University, Cornell, USA

    Ruth C. Young & Dean Maccannell

  2. University of California, Berkeley, USA

    Ruth C. Young & Dean Maccannell

Authors
  1. Ruth C. Young
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  2. Dean Maccannell
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Young, R.C., Maccannell, D. Predicting the quality of life in the United States. Soc Indic Res 6, 23–40 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00305435

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00305435

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