Abstract Background The present study investigated the relationship between objective and subjective mea- sures of quality of life (QoL), and in particular, health status and primary care services. Methods Thirty-one people with intellectual disability (ID) were interviewed using a QoL ques- tionnaire. Thirty-one matched controls from the general population filled in a parallel questionnaire. Results The results in both groups support the findings of many researchers which indicate that satisfaction with aspects of life is generally high (i.e. ª % of maximum possible satisfaction). The present study also confirms previous findings which indicate that satisfaction with aspects of life does not generally correlate with objective circumstances in either group. The importance that people attach to aspects of their lives did not generally correlate with their objective circumstances or their satisfac- tion with life. However, people with ID attached greater importance to all aspects of their lives than those without disability. This may be linked to their aspirations, preferences and opportunities for Correspondence: Elizabeth Hensel,  Ascot Road, Moseley, Birmingham B  EL, UK (e-mail: liz.hensel@blueyonder.co.uk). choice, and therefore, these factors may be a more meaningful way of considering their QoL. Conclusions The present findings call into question the use of satisfaction as a general measure of QoL, and also indicate that the use of importance as a mediating variable in understanding satisfaction may not be a solution. The participants with ID had poorer health than the controls, and were sig- nificantly less satisfied with their health. Contrary to other findings, the present participants with ID reported that they had received more health checks than the controls over the previous year. Half of these checks had been carried out by ‘special’ ser- vices rather than primary care services. Keywords health, importance, intellectual disabil- ity, quality, satisfaction Introduction Primary care The policy of the UK Government in the late twen- tieth century to close long-stay hospitals, as embod- ied in the National Health Service (NHS) and Community Care Act (NHS ), has led to a focus on community support for people with intel- lectual disability (ID). Emerson et al. () stated Journal of Intellectual Disability Research     pp –   95 ©  Blackwell Science Ltd Subjective judgements of quality of life: a comparison study between people with intellectual disability and those without disability E. Hensel, 1 J. Rose, 1 B. Stenfert Kroese 1 & J. Banks-Smith 2 1 School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK 2 Kings Fund, London, UK