The Use of Methods of Multidimensional Comparative Analysis in Evaluation of the Standard of Living of Poland’s Population in Comparison with Other Countries of the European Union

The comparative analysis of the standard of living of the population is significant from the viewpoint of evaluation of economic changes as well as determination of the distance between countries with regard to social development. The goal of the article was to compare, using the methods of multidimensional comparative analysis (MCA), the standard of living in the countries of the European Union using a single indicator. This indicator, as an aggregated value, synthesizes the information from all variables defining a complex phenomenon, enabling a comparison of countries with regard to the standard of living. The point of departure for the research was a creation of a set of variables, divided into 8 subgroups: health care, labour market, salaries, housing conditions, education, culture and recreation, communication, environmental protection, and social benefits. On the basis of this group of variables, a comparison of the European Union countries between 2006 and 2011 was made, specifying the position of Poland, with regard to the standard of living of inhabitants and evaluation of the extent of Poland’s similarity to other EU countries. The source base of the articles was information from secondary sources: Internet sites, publications on European statistics, as well as data published by the GUS (Central Statistical Office of Poland).