Abstract:

The concern with Quality of Life and the large numbers of social indicators that are being identified as relevant to quality of life, raises political and ethical questions in respect of choices that must be made from among them. The necessity to choose may be superseded by the judicious use of indices which combine large numbers of indicators. The paper briefly describes a general theory of index construction and a method for the same which maintains the integrity of the theory. A theory of anomie is then outlined and the theory and method of index construction are illustrated with the construction of an index of anomie.