The U.S., largely viewed as the most desirable destination for those looking to fulfill their dreams, is not such a great place to live if the latest World Happiness Report is to be believed. More than the land of dreams, the U.S is now the land of disaffection, anger and loneliness.
The country plunged a full eight spots on the World Happiness Report, to land at number 23. It’s the first time since the report launched 12 years ago that the U.S. did not rank among the world’s 20 happiest countries, a significant change that reflects the current disunity and conflict that is dividing the nation.
Americans are not happy, and they have good reasons to be sour—lots of them. What’s more, this did not happen overnight. Politics is a major reason for the dissatisfaction. Almost every poll that Gallup has taken over the last decade shows that less than a majority have favorable opinions of the Democratic and Republican parties. Indeed, a clear plurality of Americans identify as Independents instead of as Democrats or Republicans, when initially asked. The disgruntlement is such that nearly a third of voters say it doesn’t matter who wins in the elections.
However, while the political chaos gripping the country is a major factor, it is not the only one.
In 2020, before the pandemic began, an average of 48% of Americans said they were satisfied. There was a big drop in 2021, when 41% indicated they were happy with what was going on based on 29 different metrics. Two years later, there has been a further drop to 38%–a full 10% lower than before the pandemic.
As if measuring present dissatisfaction was not grim enough, the respondents also envision a gloomy future. There is a stark lack of optimism.
Other issues that have Americans feeling glum range from loneliness to violence, to the economy. Some affect the younger generations. Young people report feeling less supported by friends and family, less free to make life choices, more stressed and less satisfied with their living conditions, Lara Aknin, an editor of the report, told Axios. The pandemic also shed light on the high rates of loneliness slamming America’s younger generations. People under 30 today also feel less confident in government and have increased perceptions of corruption, she added.
CNN reported that a full 59% of parents said they financially helped an adult child in the past year, while 44% of adult children said they had received financial help from a parent in the same period. This sad statistic surely confirms the unhappiness that is pervading the younger generation that is experiencing difficulty handling the cost of living, and in particular, the prohibitive cost of housing.
Of those 44% of young adults, the majority (68%) were 18-to-24-years old. But surprisingly, 30% of adults between 30 and 34 also said they got a financial assist from a parent.
In what would normally be a surprising twist, the report found that older people are now happier than young people in North America — the opposite of many other regions. The finding surely appears to be counterintuitive. Young people are generally more resilient and optimistic.
The U.S.’s inflation rates have affected everything from dining out to the real estate market, and are contributing to a general sense of unease that is reflected in the record low ranking.
Once again, for the seventh year in a row, Finland is the happiest country. Indeed, Scandinavian countries generally lead in the rankings on happiness. According to experts, the so-called Nordic model, which offers an elaborate social safety net, featuring services such as free education, universal healthcare and public pension plans, gives people a sense of security and belonging and therefore “happiness.”.
However, even the social welfare model doesn’t always ensure satisfaction or happiness. Italy, which offers many of the same public welfare services, came in at number 33, just behind Spain and ahead of Chile.
World’s top 25 happiest countries, ranked:
- Finland
- Denmark
- Iceland
- Sweden
- Israel
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Luxembourg
- Switzerland
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Costa Rica
- Kuwait
- Austria
- Canada
- Belgium
- Ireland
- Czechia
- Lithuania
- United Kingdom
- Slovenia
- United Arab Emirates
- United States
- Germany
- Mexico
