Britain readies national happiness index
The British government is readying a new measurement of national performance:
'The UK government is poised to start measuring people's psychological and environmental wellbeing, bidding to be among the first countries to officially monitor happiness.Despite "nervousness" in Downing Street at the prospect of testing the national mood amid deep cuts and last week's riot in Westminster, the Office of National Statistics will shortly be asked to produce measures to implement David Cameron's long-stated ambition of gauging "general wellbeing".
Countries such as France and Canada are looking at similar initiatives as governments around the world come under pressure to put less store on conventional economic measures of prosperity such as gross domestic product.
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If nothing else, it might be a useful way to mask declines or poor performance in more traditional economic indicators. Or it might serve to establish a strongrt connection between those indicators and national happineness.
Jim Jubak has a good primer on GDP vs. GNH (gross national happiness).
(AP Photo)