World Happiness Index and Its Six Factors Report

The World Happiness Index (WHI) was created by the United Nations to measure the distribution of happiness, or subjective well-being, across the world [1]. Six variables are used to evaluate the level of well-being in every country, including log GDP per capita, life expectancy, social support, generosity, freedom to make life choices, and perceptions of corruption [2]. This paper seeks to address the influence of these factors on the distribution of happiness.

To what extent does GDP affect the happiness index?

It is well-recognized that the log GDP per capita data is useful to assess economic prosperity of any given country. This variable allows the researchers to evaluate the status of the economy since it is the estimation of the value of all products and services a company creates. GDP levels have a direct impact on people’s lives and the WHI as a result. The higher log GDP per capita is, the healthier the country’s economy is. In this paper, the researcher evaluates the effect log GDP per capita has on people’s well-being.

To what extent does life expectancy affect the happiness index?

Life expectancy is used to assess the quality of life and the accessibility of healthcare. Higher life expectancy means healthy populations, accessible healthcare, and higher quality of life in general. As such, this variable introduces physical well-being and health as the determinants of countries’ happiness index. Countries with higher healthy life expectancy are rated higher in the WHI.

To what extent does the social support affect the happiness index?

For people, social support is another major factor which determines the level of happiness. This factor implies that social ties, or having relatives and friends one can rely on if needed, are among the factors which determine happiness [1]. If an individual has no one to count on in times of trouble, they are likely to feel depressed and miserable. The researcher’s aim is to evaluate the effect of social ties on the country’s performance in the WHI.

To what extent does generosity affect the happiness index?

In the context of the WHI generosity is understood as the readiness of people to donate money to charities in relation to GDP per capita [1]. Generosity is directly related to prosperity and is one of the factors which can be used to evaluate people’s happiness. Therefore, this paper seeks to address the relationship between prosperity, generosity, and the WHI.

To what extent does the freedom to make life choices affect the happiness index?

Freedom is one of the fundamental factors which affect happiness in different countries. Each person wants to have some level of control over their life and make their own life choices. Freedom means opportunity: opportunity to travel, to vote and be elected, to participate in demonstrations, to choose a carrier, etc. The more opportunities there are, the better. In this paper, the researcher seeks to address the impact of this variable on the WHI.

To what extent do perceptions of corruption affect the happiness index?

Corruption in business leads to increased transaction costs and establishes such environment which negatively affects business performance due to inefficient nature of investments. Corruption in the government may lead to violations of human rights, social injustice, and poor economic performance. As such, both the government and business corruption is directly related to reduced economic performance and lower levels of individual happiness. Using statistical data, the researcher aims to assess the gravity of corruption in relation to the decreased WHI.

References

J. Helliwell, H. Huang and S. Wang. (2016). The Distribution of World Happiness. Web.

J. Hrala. (2016). The World Happiness Index 2016 just ranked the happiest countries on Earth. Web.