The United Nations has released its World Happiness Report – with countries rated on income equality, healthy life expectancy, level of social support, freedom, trust and generosity by their own citizens.
Australia failed to make the top 10.
The overwhelming consensus was that Scandinavian citizens are the happiest in the world.
Topping the list was Finland, followed by Denmark, Norway, Iceland and the Netherlands, then Sweden and Switzerland.
New Zealand citizens ranked their homeland at eighth on the ladder – ahead of Canada, and Austria respectively.
Australia was the 11th happiest country in the world, faring better than the United States which was rated the 19th happiest country in the world.
The value of ‘happiness’ was calculated using three measures – life evaluations, positive affect, and negative affect.
Respondents were asked to respond to the following question:
“Please imagine a ladder, with steps numbered from zero at the bottom to 10 at the top. The top of the ladder represents the best possible life for you and the bottom of the ladder represents the worst possible life for you. On which step of the ladder would you say you personally feel you stand at this time?”
How would you have answered?
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