rapport sur le pays le plus heureux au monde (World Happiness Report 2017 ( en anglais))

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• Publié par: Le_Parisien
• Publié le: 20 mars 2017
• Nombre de lectures: 11 976
• Langue: English
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WORLD
HAPPINESS
REPORT
2017
Editors: John Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey Sachs
Associate Editors: Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Haifang Huang and Shun WangWORLD
HAPPINESS
REPORT
2017
Editors: John Helliwell, Richard Layard, and Jeffrey Sachs
Associate Editors: Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, Haifang Huang
and Shun Wang
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Overview 2
John F. Helliwell, Richard Layard and Jeffrey D. Sachs
2. Social Foundations of World Happiness 8
John F. Helliwell, Haifang Huang and Shun Wang
3. Growth and Happiness in China, 1990-2015 48
Richard A. Easterlin, Fei Wang and Shun Wang
4. ‘Waiting for Happiness’ in Africa 84
Valerie Møller, Benjamin Roberts, Habib Tiliouine
and Jay Loschky
5. The Key Determinants of Happiness and Misery 122
Andrew Clark, Sarah Flèche, Richard Layard,
Nattavudh Powdthavee and George Ward
6. Happiness at Work 144
Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, George Ward
7. Restoring American Happiness 178
Jeffrey D. Sachs
The World Happiness Report was written by a group of independent experts acting in their personal capacities. Any views
expressed in this report do not necessarily refect the views of any organization, agency or programme of the United Nations.Chapter 1
OVERVIEW
JOHN F. HELLIWELL, RICHARD LAYARD AND JEFFREY D. SACHS
2W ORLD HAPPINES S REPOR T 20 17
Chapter 1: Overview (John F. Helliwell, Chapter 2: The Social Foundations of World
Richard Layard, and Jeffrey D. Sachs) Happiness (John F. Helliwell, Haifang Huang,
and Shun Wang)The frst World Happiness Report was published
in April, 2012, in support of the UN High Level This report gives special attention to the social
Meeting on happiness and well-being. Since foundations of happiness for individuals and
then we have come a long way. Happiness is nations. The chapter starts with global and
increasingly considered the proper measure of regional charts showing the distribution of
social progress and the goal of public policy. In answers, from roughly 3000 respondents in
June 2016, the OECD committed itself “to each of more than 150 countries, to a question
redefne the growth narrative to put people’s asking them to evaluate their current lives on a
well-being at the centre of governments’ ef- ladder where 0 represents the worst possible life
1forts”. In a recent speech, the head of the UN and 10 the best possible. When the global
Development Program (UNDP) spoke against population is split into ten geographic regions,
what she called the “tyranny of GDP”, arguing the resulting distributions vary greatly in both
that what matters is the quality of growth.“ shape and average values. Average levels of
Paying more attention to happiness should be happiness also differ across regions and
counpart of our efforts to achieve both human and tries. A difference of four points in average life
sustainable development” she said. evaluations, on a scale that runs from 0 to 10,
separates the ten happiest countries from the
ten unhappiest countries. In February 2017, the United Arab Emirates
held a full-day World Happiness meeting, as part
of the World Government Summit. Now Inter- Although the top ten countries remain the same
national Day of Happines, March 20th, provides as last year, there has been some shuffing of
a focal point for events spreading the infuence places. Most notably, Norway has jumped into
of global happiness research. The launch of this frst position, followed closely by Denmark,
report at the United Nations on International Iceland and Switzerland. These four countries
Day of Happines is to be preceded by a World are clustered so tightly that the differences
Happiness Summit in Miami, and followed by a among them are not statistically signifcant,
three-day meeting on happiness research and even with samples averaging 3,000 underlying
policy at Erasmus University in Rotterdam. the averages. Three-quarters of the differences
Interest, data, and research continue to build in among countries, and also among regions, are
a mutually supporting way. accounted for by differences in six key variables,
each of which digs into a different aspect of life.
These six factors are GDP per capita, healthy This is the ffth World Happiness Report. Thanks
years of life expectancy, social support (as mea-to generous long-term support from the Ernesto
sured by having someone to count on in times Illy Foundation, we are now able to combine the
of trouble), trust (as measured by a perceived timeliness of an annual report with adequate
absence of corruption in government and preparation time by looking two or three years
business), perceived freedom to make life ahead when choosing important topics for
decisions, and generosity (as measured by recent 3detailed research and invited special chapters.
donations). The top ten countries rank highly on Our next report for 2018 will focus on the issue
all six of these factors.of migration.
International differences in positive and In the remainder of this introduction, we
highnegative emotions (affect) are much less fully light the main contributions of each chapter in
explained by these six factors. When affect this report.measures are used as additional elements in the results refect the different scope of the two
explanation of life evaluations, only positive measures. GDP relates to the economic side of
emotions contribute signifcantly, appearing to life, and to just one dimension—the output of
provide an important channel for the effects of goods and services. Subjective well-being, in
both perceived freedom and social support. contrast, is a comprehensive measure of
individual well-being, taking account of the variety of
economic and noneconomic concerns and Analysis of changes in life evaluations from
aspirations that determine people’s well-being. 2005-2007 to 2014-2016 continue to show big
GDP alone cannot account for the enormous international differences in the dynamics of
structural changes that have affected people’s happiness, with both the major gainers and the
lives in China. Subjective well-being, in contrast, major losers spread among several regions.
captures the increased anxiety and new concerns
that emerge from growing dependence on the
The main innovation in the World Happiness labor market. The data show a marked decline in
Report 2017 is our focus on the role of social subjective well-being from 1990 to about 2005,
factors in supporting happiness. Even beyond and a substantial recovery since then. The chapter
the effects likely to fow through better health shows that unemployment and changes in the
and higher incomes, we calculate that bringing social safety nets play key roles in explaining both
the social foundations from the lowest levels up the post-1990 fall and the subsequent recovery.
to world average levels in 2014-2016 would
increase life evaluations by almost two points
Chapter 4: ‘Waiting for Happiness’ in Africa (1.97). These social foundations effects are
(Valerie Møller, Benjamin J. Roberts, Habib together larger than those calculated to follow
Tiliouine, and Jay Loschky)from the combined effects of bottom to average
improvements in both GDP per capita and This chapter explores the reasons why African
healthy life expectancy. The effect from the countries generally lag behind the rest of the
increase in the numbers of people having world in their evaluations of life. It takes as its
someone to count on in times of trouble is by starting point the aspirations expressed by the
itself equal to the happiness effects from the Nigerian respondents in the 1960s Cantril study
16-fold increase in average per capita annual as they were about to embark on their frst
incomes required to shift the three poorest experience of freedom from colonialism. Back
countries up to the world average (from about then, Nigerians stated then that many changes,
$600 to about $10,000). not just a few, were needed to improve their lives
and those of their families. Fifty years on,
judging by the social indicators presented in this Chapter 3: Growth and Happiness in China,
chapter, people in many African countries are 1990-2015 (Richard A. Easterlin, Fei Wang, and
still waiting for the changes needed to improve Shun Wang)
their lives and to make them happy. In short,
While Subjective well-being (SWB) is receiving African people’s expectations that they and their
increasing attention as an alternative or comple- countries would fourish under self-rule and
ment to GDP as a measure of well-being. There
4 democracy appear not yet to have been met.
could hardly be a better test case than China for
comparing the two measures. GDP in China has
Africa’s lower levels of happiness compared to multiplied over fve-fold over the past quarter
other countries in the world, therefore, might century, subjective well-being over the same
be attributed to disappointment with different period fell for 15 years before starting a recovery
aspects of development under democracy. process. Current levels are still, on average, less
Although most citizens still believe that democracy than a quarter of a century ago. These disparate W ORLD HAPPINES S REPOR T 20 17
is the best political system, they are critical of would come from the elimination of depression
governance in their