--- canonical_url: "https://csls.ca/research/a-survey-of-indicators-of-economic-and-social-well-being/" title: "A Survey of Indicators of Economic and Social Well-being" author: name: "CSLS" url: "https://csls.ca/author/cslc/" date_published: "2026-07-02T14:09:36+00:00" date_modified: "2026-07-02T14:09:36+00:00" post_type: "research" summary: "" post_tag: - "Canada" - "community indicators" - "composite indicators" - "Genuine Progress Indicator" - "Human Development Index" - "Index of Economic Well-Being" - "living standards measurement" - "OECD" - "provincial indicators" - "quality of life" - "social indicators" - "well-being indexes" country_focus: - "Canada" province_region: - "National" research_theme: - "Economic Well-Being" - "Productivity and Economic Measurement" featured_image: "https://csls.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/old-reports_hero_banner_bg.webp" status: "publish" --- # A Survey of Indicators of Economic and Social Well-being Canonical URL: https://csls.ca/research/a-survey-of-indicators-of-economic-and-social-well-being/ # A Survey of Indicators of Economic and Social Well-being [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls1999-cprn.pdf) Cite this report × Cite this report as: Sharpe, Andrew. 1999. “A Survey of Indicators of Economic and Social Well-being.” CSLS Research Report 1999-cprn. Ottawa: Centre for the Study of Living Standards. https://csls.ca/research/a-survey-of-indicators-of-economic-and-social-well-being/ ## Author: - Andrew Sharpe Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) ## Report 1999-cprn July 1999 72 pages ## Related research [Measuring the Appropriate Outcomes for Better Decision-Making: A Framework to Guide the Analysis of Health Policy Matthew Calver March 2016 | Report 2016-03 | 132 pages](https://csls.ca/research/measuring-the-appropriate-outcomes-for-better-decision-making-a-framework-to-guide-the-analysis-of-health-policy-2016-03/) [Living Standards Domain of the Canadian Index of Wellbeing Andrew Sharpe, Christopher Ross November 2011 | Report 2011-17 | 124 pages](https://csls.ca/research/living-standards-domain-of-the-canadian-index-of-wellbeing-2011-17/) [Productivity: Key to Economic Success Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS) March 1998 | Report 1998-01 | 99 pages](https://csls.ca/research/productivity-key-to-economic-success/) [Apprenticeship in Canada: A Training System Under Siege? 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For example, the release each year of the United Nations’ Human Development Index generates considerable media interest, particularly in Canada. Equally, the Genuine Progress Index produced by the think tank Redefining Progress has become very well known in a short period of time, and is referred to often in debates on the inadequacies of GDP as a welfare measure. Many communities in Canada and in the United States have attempted to develop social indicators to monitor trends in the welfare of their citizens. Ces dernières années, l’intérêt pour les indicateurs agrégés ou composites de bien-être économique et social à l’échelle communautaire, nationale et internationale s’est considérablement accru. Par exemple, la publication annuelle de l’Indice de développement humain des Nations Unies suscite un intérêt médiatique considérable, particulièrement au Canada. De même, l’Indice de progrès véritable, produit par le groupe de réflexion Redefining Progress, s’est fait connaître très rapidement et est souvent cité dans les débats sur les lacunes du PIB comme mesure du bien-être. De nombreuses communautés au Canada et aux États-Unis ont tenté d’élaborer des indicateurs sociaux pour suivre les tendances du bien-être de leurs citoyens. [Download full PDF report](https://csls.ca/pdf/csls1999-cprn.pdf)