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Eurobarometer Data Service

Life Satisfaction

On the whole, are you very satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied, or not at all satisfied with the life you lead ?

Related GESIS information service publication "Recherche Spezial 01/2008":
Lebenszufriedenheit - Ein Überblick über aktuelle sozialwissenschaftliche Literatur zur Thematik (Life satisfaction - A review of up-to-date publications; abstracts mostly in English).

ZA Study Number Eurobarometer Fieldwork Month Fieldwork Year Question Number Variable Name (1)
0628 ECS73 9-10 1973 Q.22 V16
0987 3 5 1975 Q.61 V60
0987 3 5 1975 Q.219 (2) V87
0988 4 10 1975 Q.68 V40
0989 5 5-6 1976 Q.149 V42
0989 5 5-6 1976 Q.217 (2) V91
0990 6 11 1976 Q.112 V5
0991 7 4-5 1977 Q.112 V8
0992 8 10-11 1977 Q.112 V9
0993 9 5-6 1978 Q.112 V9
0994 10 10-11 1978 Q.112 V9
1036 11 4 1979 Q.124 V15
1038 13 4 1980 Q.112 V8
1206 15 4 1981 Q.120 V8
1208 17 3-4 1982 Q.142 V54
1209 18 10 1982 Q.232 V33
1318 19 3-4 1983 Q.121 V10
1318 19 3-4 1983 Q.343 (3) V224
1319 20 10 1983 Q.238 V35
1320 21 3-4 1984 Q.212 V11
1321 22 10-11 1984 Q.226 V124
1541 23 3-4 1985 Q.132 V11
1542 24 10-11 1985 Q.155 V17
1543 25 3-4 1986 Q.122 V11
1544 26 10-11 1986 Q.145 V17
1712 27 4 1987 Q.231 V11
1713 28 10-11 1987 Q.135 V17
1714 29 3-4 1988 Q.125 V11
1715 30 10-11 1988 Q.118 (4) V17
1750 31 3-4 1989 Q.124 V11
1751 31A 7 1989 Q.123 V11
1752 32 10-11 1989 Q.3 V12
1753 33 3-4 1990 Q.2 V12
1960 34.0 10-11 1990 Q.7 V23
1961 34.1 10-11 1990 Q.2 V17
1962 34.2 10-11 1990 Q.2 V17
2031 35.0 3 1991 Q.2 V18
2081 36 10-11 1991 Q.2 V19
2141 37.0 3-4 1992 Q.2 V18
2241 37.1 4-5 1992 Q.2 V18
2242 37.2 4-5 1992 Q.2 V16
2243 37.0+1 3-5 1992 Q.2 V19
2294 38.0 9-10 1992 Q.2 V18
2295 38.1 11 1992 Q.2 V17
2346 39.0 3-4 1993 Q.2 V20
2459 40 10-11 1993 Q.2 V19
2490 41.0 4-5 1994 Q.2 V36
2563 42 11-12 1994 Q.2 V33
2637 43.1 4-5 1995 Q.2 V38
2828 44.2bis 2 1996 Q.2 V37
2830 44.3OVR 2-4 1996 Q.104 (9) V247
2936 47.1 3-4 1997 Q.36 (5) V475
3052 49 4-5 1998 Q.5 V42
3204 52.0 10-11 1999 Q.7  
3205 52.1 11-12 1999 Q.13_1 (6)   
3296 53 4-5 2000 Q.4 (5)  
3387 54.1 11-12 2000 Q.4  
3507 55.1 4-5 2001 Q.7 (5)  
3626 56.1 9-10 2001 Q.46 (9)   
3627 56.2 10-11 2001 Q.4  
3639 57.1 3-5 2002 Q.4  
3640 57.2 4-6 2002 Q.4_1 (6)   
3693 58.1 10-11 2002 Q.4  
3938 60.1 10-11 2003 Q.4  
4229 62.0 10-11 2004 Q.4  
4231 62.2 11-12 2004 QD1_1 (8)  
4233 63.1 1-2 2005 QB6 (7)   
4411 63.4 5-6 2005 QA3  
4414 64.2 10-11 2005 QA3  
4506 65.2 3-5 2006 QA3  
4526 66.1 9-10 2006 QA3  
4530 67.2 4-5 2007 QA3  
4565 68.1 9-11 2007 QA3  
4744 69.2 3-5 2008 QA3  
4819 70.1 10-11 2008 QA3  
4971 71.1 1-2 2009 QA2  
4972 71.2 5-6 2009 QA1  
4973 71.3 6-7 2009 QA1  
4975 72.1 8-9 2009 QA1(10)  
4994 72.4 10-11 2009 QA1  
5234 73.4 5 2010 QA1  
5235 73.5 6 2010 QA1  
5237 74.1 8-9 2010 QA1(10)  
5449 74.2 11-12 2010 QA1  
5481 75.3 5 2011 QA1  
5564 75.4 6 2011 QB1  
5567 76.3 11 2011 QA1  
5612 77.3 5 2012 QA1  
5613 77.4 6 2012 QB1  
5685 78.1 11 2012 QA1  
5689 79.3 5 2013 QA1  
5852 79.4 5-6 2013 QA1  
5876 80.1 11 2013 QA1  
5877 80.2 11-12 2013 D70  
5913 81.2 3 2014 QA1  
5928 81.4 5-6 2014 QA1  
5929 81.5 6 2014 QA1  
5930 82.1 9 2014 D70  
5931 82.2 10 2014 D70  
5932 82.3 11 2014 D70  
5933 82.4 11-12 2014 D70  
5998 83.3 5 2015 D70  
6595 83.4 5-6 2015 D70  
6642 84.2 10 2015 D70  
6643 84.3 11 2015 D70  
6644 84.4 11-12 2015 D70  
6693 85.1 4 2016 D70  
6696 85.1OVR 4 2016 D70  
6694 85.2 5 2016 D70  
6695 85.3 6 2016 D70  
6697 86.1 9-10 2016 D70  
6788 86.2 11 2016 D70  
6791 86.3 11-12 2016 D70  
6861 87.1 3 2017 D70  
6862 87.2 4 2017 D70  
6863 87.3 5 2017 D70  
6924 87.4 6 2017 D70  
6925 88.1 9-10 2017 D70  
6927 88.2 10 2017 D70  
6928 88.3 11 2017 D70  
6963 89.1 3 2018 D70  
7482 89.2 4 2018 D70  
7483 89.3 6-7 2018 D70  
7484 90.1 9 2018 D70  
7488 90.2 10-11 2018 D70  
7489 90.3 11 2018 D70  
7556 90.4 12 2018 D70  
7562 91.2 3 2019 D70  
7572 91.3 4 2019 D70  
7575 91.4 5 2019 D70  
7576 91.5 6-7 2019 D70  
7579 92.1 9 2019 D70  
7580 92.2 10 2019 D70  
7601 92.3 11-12 2019 D70  
7602 92.4 12 2019 D70  
6749 93.1 7-8 2020 D70  
7739 93.2 8-9 2020 D70  
7749 94.1 10-11 2020 D70  
7780 94.3 2-3 2021 D70  
7781 95.1 3-4 2021 D70  
7782 95.2 4-5 2021 D70  
7783 95.3 6-7 2021 D70  
7846 96.1 9-10 2021 D70  
7848 96.3 1-2 2022 D70  
7888 97.3 4-5 2022 D70  
7902 97.5 6-7 2022 D70  
7953 98.2 1-2 2023 D70  
7997 99.4 5-6 2023 D70  

(1) Please note that the variable names refer to the final ICPSR/ZA codebook editions, if available. 

(2) 11-point-scale; Question: "We have talked about various parts of your life. All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?"

(3) 11-point-scale; Question: "All things considered, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?"

(4) 10-point-scale; Question: "All in all to what extent would you say you are satisfied with the life you lead at this time? Please use this scale to decide on your replay. '10' means you are completely satisfied and '1' means you are completely dissatisfied." In addition respondents have been asked: "Using the same scale, how satisfied do you think you will be in five years time?" (Q.119, V18)

(5) Follow up questions:
"If you compare your present situation with five years ago, would you say it has improved, stayed about the same or got worse?" and
"in the course of the next five years, do you expect your personal situation to improve, to stay about the same or to get worse?" 

(6) Different answer scale and additional items: Please tell me whether you are very satisfied, fairly satisfied, neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, not very satisfied or not at all satisfied with each of the following? 1. Your Life in general; 2. ...

(7) 10-point scale: 1 "Not at all satisfied" ... 10 "Absolutely satisfied".

(8) General life satisfaction asked among other items (Social Capital); additional spontaneous answer category "not relevant".

(9) Modified question/item wording and additional items: Would you say you are satisfied, fairly satisfied, not very satisfied or not at all satisfied with the following things? 1. With the life you lead;  2. ...  Please notice, that Eurobarometer 44.3OVR includes an UNEMPLOYED OVeRsample.

(10) 10-point-scale; Question: All things considered, how satisfied would you say you are with your life these days? Please use a scale from 1 to 10 where [1] means ‘very dissatisfied' and [10] means ‘very satisfied'." Follow up question on satisfaction with different items (same scale): - your family life, - your health, - your job, - your present standard of living.