Question:

Upon encountering stories like this, Denmark world's happiest country, survey finds, and reading:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Denmark, with its democracy, social equality and peaceful atmosphere, is the happiest country in the world, researchers said on Monday.

Zimbabwe, torn by political and social strife, is the least happy, while the world's richest nation, the United States, ranks 16th. ...

The survey, first done in 1981, has kept to two simple questions:

"Taking all things together, would you say you are very happy, rather happy, not very happy, not at all happy?" And, "All things considered, how satisfied are you with your life as a whole these days?

One wonders if the people surveyed included those in prison. The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world (1% of the adult population in jail) and those people are decidely unhappy. Were they part of the survey? (Checking the source of the survey doesn't answer the question.)


posted by Quiddity at 7/01/2008 04:59:00 PM