There are two main objectives for this element of the project. First, to explore different ways of measuring people’s standard of living in Ireland, both in the North and in the South. Second, to describe and assess critically the social indicators which are available to measure equality and inequality.

The work to date has concentrated on developing equity sensitive measures of the standard of living for Northern Ireland based on the Poverty and Social Exclusion in Northern Ireland survey data and preparing a description of the large number of existing social indicators collected by various agencies in Northern Ireland, Great Britain, Ireland, and internationally. 

As the next step, the project will develop a framework by which the utility of existing indicators can be judged and investigate their role in policy making.