A national survey on health-related quality of life for people with dementia in residential long-term care institutions

•Activities of daily living, dementia severity, cognitive function, and depressive symptoms influence health-related quality of life (in people with dementia in residential long-term care institutions.•The determinants of two HRQoL measures, the EQ-5D-5L utility and visual analog scale systems, were different.•The findings provide evidence for policymakers to accurately target individuals who are at risk of reduced HRQoL and offer patient-centered care.