Like every year the United Nations and Gallup published their World Happiness Report. The big question this year is how the Coronavirus pandemic affected people's sense of happiness, and how different countries reacted.
The Economist deftly summarised the report in their article It might seem crazy: The pandemic has changed the shape of global happiness.
In a nutshell, young people and very sociable people suffered the most from the pandemic due to the restrictions on their social life. Older people in developed countries were comparatively happier, in part because they increased their contact with their family with video chats and the like. Another important factor was trust in strangers and in one's country's institutions. Nordic countries, New Zealand, Japan and Taiwan, for example, all have high levels of trust and fared quite well during the pandemic.
The only region where happiness decreased almost everywhere was Latin America. This is due to a combination of low trust in others, poor government management of the pandemic, and social restrictions in societies where going out and meeting friends are particularly important.
In Europe, the UK has seen its level of happiness fall the most (from 15th to 18th, but a drop of 0.366 points on the ladder, far more than any other developed country). Germany rose the most (from 15th to 7th place).
Interestingly, China and India are among the biggest winners in terms of increased happiness in 2020.
The Economist deftly summarised the report in their article It might seem crazy: The pandemic has changed the shape of global happiness.
In a nutshell, young people and very sociable people suffered the most from the pandemic due to the restrictions on their social life. Older people in developed countries were comparatively happier, in part because they increased their contact with their family with video chats and the like. Another important factor was trust in strangers and in one's country's institutions. Nordic countries, New Zealand, Japan and Taiwan, for example, all have high levels of trust and fared quite well during the pandemic.
The only region where happiness decreased almost everywhere was Latin America. This is due to a combination of low trust in others, poor government management of the pandemic, and social restrictions in societies where going out and meeting friends are particularly important.
In Europe, the UK has seen its level of happiness fall the most (from 15th to 18th, but a drop of 0.366 points on the ladder, far more than any other developed country). Germany rose the most (from 15th to 7th place).
Interestingly, China and India are among the biggest winners in terms of increased happiness in 2020.
