Three direct questions, each rated on a 10 point scale: 
"How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your life 
as a whole these days?", "And how about your life five 
years back?" and "How satisfied or dissatisfied you 
think you'll be five years from now?".

Respondents were grouped into 9 categories to present 
satisfaction with life being:
1 Higher than past, lower than future
2 Higher than past, equal to future
3 Higher than past, higher than future
4 Equal to past, lower than future
5 Equal to past, equal to future
6 Equal to past, higher than future    
7 Lower than past, lower than future
8 Lower than past, equal to future
9 Lower than past, higher than future