Why happiness matters for democracy

Deutsche Welle

Rising prices are just one of the reasons why young Americans like Joana are increasingly dissatisfied — alongside wars, political polarization, loneliness and unemployment.

According to this year’s World Happiness Report, young adulthood — a phase once considered one of the happiest in life — has taken a “troubling turn.” Young people in Western Europe and North America now report “the lowest well-being among all age groups,” the report states.

Released yearly on March 20 to mark the United Nations’ International Day of Happiness, the World Happiness Report is a worldwide survey that ranks countries according to the level of satisfaction of their population.