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Analysis of the Quality of life using cluster analysis and comparison with the Human Development Index
Pánková, Barbara ; Miskolczi, Martina (advisor) ; Langhamrová, Jana (referee)
Nowadays quality of life is often discussed topic. In defining this term, there is considerable ambiguity and disunity, since there is no universally accepted definition, nor theoretically sophisticated model. However, despite this fact, the level of quality of life is currently one of the most discussed topic. Monitoring the quality of life by using a variety of indicators are engaged in several international organizations, one of them is the Development Programme of the United Nations. This organization annually publishes the Human Development Index, which divides the world´s countries into four groups according to their level of development: low, medium, high and very high development. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the quality of life in 125 countries by using cluster analysis, accurately the Ward's method. Quality of life in this thesis is evaluated based on 19 demographic and economic indicators, which include life expectancy, literacy rate, access to drinking water and infant mortality rate. The cluster analysis divided the country into individual clusters by their similarities. Six clusters were created by this analysis, which had been compared with the results of Human Development Index. The clusters very well reflect the division, which is commonly used in the characterization of developing and developed countries. Each of the six clusters can be very well described and characterized in terms of quality of life. It is also possible qualify those clusters as poorest developing, low developed, moderately developed, medium development, high and very high development countries. Based on the results it can be stated that this analysis is consistent with other indicators of quality of life and the resulting clusters are identical with the division of countries which is commonly used.
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