Happiness Dynamics Across Generations: Insights from the 2024 World Happiness Report
For the first time in the World Happiness Report’s history, the United States failed to secure a spot in the top 20 happiest countries globally. In a survey of over 140 nations, the U.S. landed 23rd place, a significant drop from its 15th-place ranking in 2023. This decline in ranking was primarily attributed to a notable decrease in the reported well-being of Americans under 30. Despite this, the U.S. remains in the top 10 happiest countries for individuals aged 60 and above.
Happiness Rankings by Age Group
- Finland remained at the top of the list for the seventh consecutive year. At the same time, Lithuania emerged as the happiest country for individuals under 30, and Denmark claimed the title of the happiest country among those aged 60 and older.
- Notably, this year’s report, released to coincide with the UN’s International Day of Happiness, introduced an analysis of happiness rates by age group, yielding significant variations in happiness rankings across different age demographics.
Lithuania
Factors Impacting Happiness
- The report, a collaborative effort between Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the World Happiness Report’s editorial board, and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network, ranks countries based on a three-year average of each population’s assessment of their quality of life.
- The data, collected post the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, revealed that individuals born before 1965 generally report higher levels of happiness compared to those born after 1980. Furthermore, millennials reported declines in life satisfaction as they grew older, while the happiness of the boomer generation tended to increase with age.
Denmark
Generational Happiness Differences
- Globally, individuals between the ages of 15 and 24 typically reported greater life satisfaction than older adults, although this gap is narrowing in Europe and has even reversed in North America. Notably, younger people in Central and Eastern Europe reported higher levels of happiness than older individuals, partly attributable to social connections.
- Conversely, the U.S. and other parts of the world displayed different trends, with reports highlighting a public health crisis of loneliness and isolation, particularly among younger generations. The American Psychological Association’s previous report also indicated higher stress levels among Gen Z adults, with health and finances cited as top concerns.
Policy Implications and Urgent Actions
- Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, the director of Oxford’s Wellbeing Research Centre and an editor of the report, emphasized the need for immediate policy action, especially in parts of the world where children and adolescents are experiencing concerning declines in well-being, akin to a mid-life crisis.
The 2024 World Happiness Report revealed countries’ shifting happiness rankings and shed light on the varying factors influencing happiness across different age groups. The findings underscore the importance of addressing generational happiness differences and the urgent need for policy interventions to safeguard the well-being of younger generations globally.
Source:
Solcyre Burga (March 19, 2024). U.S. Falls Out of Top 20 Happiest Countries for the First Time Ever. The Times. https://time.com/6958494/united-states-falls-world-happiness-report/. Accessed March 20, 2024
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