Quality of life survey.
Hmm, who knew such an ambiguous concept such as the quality of one’s life is actually quantifiable! Well, I can’t speak for everyone, but I, for one, was blissfully unaware of this until I did my fair share of digging into the matter.
Considering that quality of life is fast becoming a standard measure of outcomes in many clinical trials and practices, it is only worthwhile to look into it deeply and explore how it can be effectively employed.
So after scouring through many sites online, we’ve finally compiled a go-to guide for everything you will ever need to know about the quality of life survey. Here’s what we’ll cover in this blog post –
- What is Meant by Quality of Life
- Quality of Life Survey: Definition & Implications.
- How is Quality of Life Measured?
- Key Indicators of QoL
- QoL: Best Practises
- Wrapping Up
What is Meant by Quality of Life?
Quality of life (QoL) is a broad multidimensional concept that comprises both positive and negative aspects of one’s life. It’s a complex blend of physical health, personal beliefs, social relationships, and environmental factors. QoL isn’t about wealth or accomplishments; it’s about one’s personal sense of well-being and satisfaction with life.
It includes factors such as safety, freedom, health, comfort, and more personal elements like achievements, personal growth, and social relations. Each person’s quality of life is highly individual and varies over time due to changing circumstances. The assessment of QoL is subjective, often based on self-reporting, which makes it uniquely individual and complex. Understanding and improving QoL is a significant goal in many fields, including healthcare, economics, psychology, and public policy.
What is a Quality of Life Survey
Quality of life survey (or QOL questionnaire) assesses an individual’s perception of their happiness (or unhappiness) in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards, and concerns.
In other words, Quality of life surveys collect data on parameters that determine the degree to which an individual is healthy, comfortable, and able to participate in or enjoy life events. Some of the standard indicators of quality of life include physical and mental health, education, employment and wealth, social belonging, and safety.
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How is Quality of Life (QoL) Measured?
Quality of Life (QoL) is typically measured using standardized quality of life questionnaires or instruments that evaluate multiple life domains. While the specific domains measured can vary, they often include physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment.
In healthcare, for example, there are disease-specific QoL measures such as the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (AQLQ) or the Diabetes Quality of Life (DQOL) measure. These are tailored to assess the impact of a particular disease on a person’s quality of life.
In more general terms, the World Health Organization developed the WHOQOL-BREF, a shortened version of the original instrument (WHOQOL-100) which measures QoL across 26 items, giving a broad view of a person’s perceived well-being.
There are also instruments like the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) that measures overall life satisfaction, and the EQ-5D, a standardized instrument for measuring generic health status.
What are the Key Indicators in a Quality of Life Survey?
Based on several academic research and initiatives, ten dimensions have been identified that contribute to the overall well-being of a person. Hence, while creating a framework for your quality of life survey questionnaire, it is essential to cover these domains. Each of them has been explained down below-
- Employment
- Education
- Health
- Recreation &Social Interaction
- Physical safety
- Governance and basic rights
- Natural and living environments
- Overall experience of life
- Ethnicity
- Gender
Here’s how quality of life assessment is done using QoL surveys.
#1. Employment
Assessing the effect of income, consumption, and working life are particularly important in gauging the overall quality of life. This is considering that work-related problems such as job dissatisfaction, workplace injury, discrimination, or unexpected loss of income can cause significant distress and hardship.
Examples of employment-related QOL survey questions
1. Are you currently employed?
- Employed for wages
- Self-employed
- Out of work and looking for work
- Out of work but not currently looking for work
- Unable to work
2. What is your total household income?
- Less than $10,000
- $10,000 to $20,000
- $21,000 to $30,00
- $31,000 to $40,000
- $41,000 to $50,000
- More than $50,000 but less than $100,000
- $100,000 or more
3. Do you have income from any sources other than salary?
- Yes
- No
- Prefer not to say
4. Is your current job in alignment with your career goals?
5. Do you have career growth and development opportunities at this organization?
6. Does your job give you the flexibility to meet the needs of your personal life?
#2. Education
It is no secret that education is a crucial proponent in the overall development of an individual.
According to the growing body of research, adults with higher educational attainment enjoy better health and lifespans compared to their less-educated peers. On the other hand, people with limited skills and competencies face risks of social exclusion and are less likely to participate in civic life.
Example of education-related QOL survey questions
1. What is the highest degree or level of school you have completed?
- High school graduate, diploma or the equivalent
- Vocational training
- Associate degree
- Bachelor’s degree
- Master’s degree
- Doctorate degree
#3. Health
Our health affects how we think, act and feel. It determines how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.
Being physically and mentally healthy is integral to living a full, satisfying, and productive life. Thus, it is of utmost importance that you explore health-related quality of life (HRQOL) on your survey/questionnaire.
Examples of health-related QOL survey questions
1. On a scale of 1 to 10, how healthy do you consider yourself?
2. In your opinion, in what capacity can you perform everyday activities?
- Excellent capacity
- Moderate capacity
- Severely impaired capacity
- Completely impaired capacity
3. Do you have any hereditary conditions/diseases?
- Yes. If yes, specify
- No
4. Are you habituated to drugs and alcohol?
- Yes to both
- Only to drugs
- Only to alcohol
- Neither
5. How often do you get a health checkup?
- Every three months
- Every six months
- Once a year
- Only when required
6. Overall, how do you rate the local hospitals in your area?
7. How would you evaluate your overall health?
8. Which health insurance coverage provider are you currently enrolled with?
9. Has a lack of health insurance coverage made you consider one of the following?
- Skip/postpone a doctor’s appointment
- Cancel a doctor’s appointment
- Not purchase medicine
- Delay treatment
10. Have you ever been dropped out of coverage after a diagnosis of any illness?
- Yes
- No
#4. Recreation and Social Interaction
The role of recreation activities and social interaction is indispensable as far as quality of life is concerned. It has been found that people who engage in social activities build positive relationships, acquire additional skills, and experience higher levels of perceived quality of life.
Examples of recreation/ social interaction QOL survey questions
1. How far are you from the nearest settlement area?
- Less than 5 km
- 5-10 km
- 10-15 km
- 20-25 km
- 25-30 km
- 30km or more
2. Are you currently involved in a socially active environment? Check all that applies
- School
- Active Work Environment
- Gym
- Recreational Club
- Other, please specify
3. How often do you meet new people on average per month?
- All the time
- Sometime
- Occasionally
- Not often
- Very rarely
4. What types of leisure activities do you participate in? (check all that apply to you )
- Dance/ Fitness
- Sports/ Coaching
- Creative Arts Hobbies
- Volunteering
- Gardening
- Swimming
- Theatre/Drama
- Walking/Hiking
- Cycling
- Other (please specify)
5. What are the barriers which prevent you from participating in leisure activities? (Select all that applies)
- Not enough time at disposal
- Cost involved
- Not interested
- Other (please specify)
#5. Physical safety
It is critical that we have a safe and secure environment that is free from any immediate hazards or acts of violence. To thrive and connect meaningfully with the people around us, we also require an absence of harm or injury.
Examples of physical safety-related survey questions
1. Rate how strongly you feel about security in your community
2. In the past year, have you been a victim of any crime in your community
3. Which of these contributes to your top three security concerns?
4. What if anything, do you think, could be done to increase your physical safety?
#6. Governance and basic rights
Good governance is key in determining the quality of life. Having a government that is transparent, accountable, and responsible ensures effective and sustainable utilization of available resources.
More specifically, it can reduce risks, unlock new opportunities, and foster trust.
Examples of physical safety-related survey questions
1. How satisfied are you with the overall quality of town services
- Extremely satisfied
- Somewhat satisfied
- Not very satisfied
- Not at all satisfied
2. What type of infrastructure improvement is your highest priority?
- Public Transit Networks
- Paths to connect neighborhoods and popular destinations
- Bike Trails and Bike Lanes
- Parks / Recreation Facilities
- Community Centers
- Commercial / Business Centers
- Water / Sewer Systems
- Other
3. Overall, how well informed do you feel about what protections and obligations you have under laws in your city?
- Very informed
- Somewhat informed
- Not very informed
- Not at all informed
4. How important is using “green initiatives,” which focus on maintaining a sustainable, natural environment, in the long-term planning process?
- Very Important
- Somewhat Important
- Not Very Important
- Not At All Important
#7. Natural and living environment
Everything from the house, city, and the state you live in, to the weather in your area, the social climate, and your work environment can affect your quality of life.
These have a significant impact on your well-being—both physically and mentally. So, it makes sense to take a closer look at how the environment affects an individual.
Examples of environment-related QOL survey questions
1. How often do you recycle?
- Always
- Most of the time
- Once in a while
- Never
2. Should the government laws restricting pollution be-
- Much more strict
- Slightly less strict
- About as strict as they are now
3. Which of the following alternative energy sources do you think would you be comfortable switching to in the next five years
- Wind
- Ethanol
- Solar
- Natural Gas
- Other
4. How willing are you to change your lifestyle to reduce the damage caused to the environment?
- Extremely willing
- Somewhat willing
- Not so willing
- Not at all willing
#8. The overall experience of life
Quality of life is very much dependent on the level of satisfaction around multiple aspects of living conditions, monetary and mental stability, social belonging, safety and security, and freedom, at large.
Thus, the QOL survey should consist of questions that will ask the respondent about their overall level of satisfaction with the living conditions.
Other Factors that Influence Quality of Life
#9. Ethnicity
Their racial identity and ethnicity very much shape the social experiences of an individual. There still exists racial bias that fuels social exclusion, discrimination, and violence against people from certain social groups.
Hence it’s imperative that while gauging the quality of life, this aspect is taken into account.
1. What is your ethnicity?
- American Indian or Alaska Native
- Asian
- Black or African American
- Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
- White
#10. Gender
Believe it or not, an individual’s gender affects their life satisfaction and quality of life at large. Gender roles imposed by society determine how we act, speak, dress, groom, and conduct ourselves based upon our assigned sex.
1. Which gender do you identify yourself as
- Male
- Female
- Transgender
- Gender variant/non-conforming
- Other, please specify
- Prefer not to answer
2. In the past year, have you experienced any discrimination or been treated unfairly by others because of…
- Age
- Sexual orientation
- Disability, if any
- Political beliefs
- Other( please specify)
- No, I have never been discriminated against
Quality of Life Survey: Best Practices
When creating your next quality of life survey questionnaire, keep these pointers in mind –
1. Lay down the purpose of your survey
The first and foremost step in creating any survey is laying down the purpose of your survey. In other words, identify why, exactly, you want to create a survey in the first place. A concise and focused objective can help you ask the right questions and thus, gain better insights.
2. Make every question count
You’re building your survey to obtain important insights. So every question you ask must relate directly to your research goals. Therefore, it’s best to plan your survey well in advance by first identifying the data you need to collect – and then subsequently framing your quality of life survey questions.
3. Ask relevant questions
To ensure good response rates on your survey, it is important to keep your QOL survey short and keep your respondents focused by only showing the questions that directly apply to them. You can make use of Skip Logic to create a more personalized experience for the survey takers.
4. Avoid biased questions
Even though you may not intend to, there’s a chance that certain words and phrases you use end up causing response bias and inevitably skew the survey results. To avoid this, it’s best to keep your questions focused and limited with only as much wording as a respondent needs to give an informed answer.
Related: Want to know some other survey best practices that will nudge your respondents to take your survey and give you accurate answers? Check out this blog post.
Wrapping up
At a time when the quality of life surveys seem to be fast catching on, having a QOL assessment tool such as SurveySparrow will help you craft in-depth questionnaires and drill down the responses to whatever level of domain specificity you want.
If you wish to elevate your research process a step further, an audience panel that offers a custom-profiled audience could be just what you need.
If you’re wondering whether SurveySparrow is the right fit for you and would rather have someone walk you through our platform, reach out to us for a free, personalized demo!
