Hows life : measuring well being ; [1].2011 Every person aspires to a good life. But what does a good or a better life mean This report looks at the most important aspects that shape peoples lives and well being: income jobs housing health work and life balance education social connections civic engagement and governance environment personal security and subjective well being. It paints a comprehensive picture of well being in OECD countries and other major economies by looking at peoples material living conditions and quality of life across the population. The report responds to the needs of citizens for better information on well being and to the needs of policy makers to give a more accurate picture of societal progress. The report finds that well being has increased on average over the past fifteen years: people are richer and more likely to be employed; they enjoy better housing conditions and are exposed to lower air pollution; they live longer and are more educated; they are also exposed to fewer crimes. But differences across countries are large. Furthermore some groups of the population particularly less educated and low income people tend to fare systematically worse in all dimensions of well being considered in this report. For instance they live shorter lives and report greater health problems; their children obtain worse school results; they participate less in political activities; they can rely on lower social networks in case of needs; they are more exposed to crime and pollution; they tend to be less satisfied with their life as a whole than more educated and higher income people.