The second seminar of the 2025 Spring semester took place on 19 March (11:00 – 12:00 UK) over Zoom, with Stefanie Vedder from the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR), who presented “Worries and Satisfaction: Using Subjective Indicators to map Regional Inequalities”
Vedder’s presentation can be accessed here. If you missed the session you can watch the recording below or on our YouTube channel.
Abstract
Empirical research uses a multitude of indicators to uncover regional inequalities. While most indicators describe objective living conditions, such as housing or healthcare infrastructure, subjective indicators which can be used to describe “quality of life” have increasingly gained attention. Subjective indicators include, among others, the perceived satisfaction with life in general or with specific spheres of life, perceived opportunities for participation and personal development, and worries. When analysing the need for and the impact of political measures to tackle regional inequalities, it can be argued that subjective indicators are at least as relevant as objective indicators, because individual satisfaction and worries influence voting behaviour and the acceptance of policies. This is especially important for regions undergoing structural transformation which receive substantial political attention and assistance.
Using representative survey data, the presentation shows differences in satisfaction and worries in the three lignite mining regions in Germany which are currently facing complex challenges due to the coal phase-out set for 2038. Results show, that while overall life satisfaction is quite similar in all three regions, satisfaction with different spheres of life and the worries which are most important to people vary significantly between regions. These results do not only have practical implications, but also invite discussion about the use of global life satisfaction as an indicator in well-being research.
Stefanie Vedder is a senior researcher at the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR). From 2010 to 2015, she studied Politics and Law at the University of Münster, Political Science at Leibniz University Hannover, and International Relations at Collegium Civitas Warsaw. In 2022, she completed her doctorate at the University of Kassel with her experimental work on soft skills and personnel recruitment in the civil service.
Her main research interests are the legitimacy and acceptance of public administration and politics. Previous projects included empirical studies on the politicization of bureaucracies and on norms and governance models in local administration. At BBSR, she focuses on regional inequalities and the subjective perception of quality of life with special attention to mining regions.
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