Which of the following is NOT typically considered a factor in the Happiness Index?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Correct Answer
Sports performance
Explanation
The World Happiness Report uses six key variables to explain the variation of happiness levels across different countries:
Economic status: Measured via Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita at Purchasing Power Parity (PPP).
Social support: Having someone to count on or turn to in times of trouble.
Healthy life expectancy: The average number of healthy years a newborn is expected to live.
Freedom to make life choices: The freedom of citizens to choose what they do with their lives.
Generosity: Measured by whether people donate money to charity.
Perceptions of corruption: The level of corruption in business and government affairs.
While Environmental conditions (like air pollution, climate, and access to green spaces) are sometimes analyzed in supplementary or special chapters of the report to study their indirect impact on well-being, Sports performance (a country's athletic achievements, Olympic medals, or tournament wins) is never used as a standardized factor or indicator to determine national happiness rankings.
Key Points
The World Happiness Report is published annually by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN).
The index relies heavily on citizens' own assessment of their happiness, primarily gathered through life evaluation questions in the Gallup World Poll.
Economic status is an essential variable, but the report emphasizes that social trust, institutional integrity, and personal freedom are equally critical to overall well-being.
The scoring system ranks countries on a scale from 0 to 10, based on an average of data collected over a three-year period.
Additional Facts
Bhutan is historically famous for introducing the concept of Gross National Happiness (GNH) in the 1970s, which inspired the global movement toward measuring happiness alongside economic growth.
The report often finds that Nordic countries (like Finland, Denmark, and Iceland) consistently rank at the top due to high levels of social trust, robust welfare systems, and low corruption.
Important Questions and Answers
Question: Which international organization is responsible for compiling and publishing the World Happiness Report each year?
Answer: It is published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN-SDSN).
Question: What primary survey is used to collect the global data regarding citizens' self-reported life satisfaction for this index?
Answer: The Gallup World Poll is the primary data source for the life evaluation metrics.