The kids are not okay. New data shows Canadians under-30 ‘very unhappy’
When it comes to happiness worldwide, Canadians appear to be a pretty content bunch, according to the 2024 World Happiness Report.
But dive deeper, and the data suggests the kids are not okay.
“Canada is on a bit of a long-term trend of declining overall life expectations,” said Chris Barrington-Leigh, an associate professor at McGill University’s department of equity, ethics and policy. “We have a very, very unhappy youth.”
The World Happiness Report takes in data from the Gallup World Poll of people from more than 140 countries, then ranks countries by their average life evaluations over the three previous years, in this case, 2021-23. Wednesday’s release corresponds with the International Day of Happiness.
People are asked to evaluate their life as a whole, with about 1,000 responses gathered for each country annually, with the happiness rankings based on a three-year average.
Canada dropped two spots this year, falling to 15th on the ranking overall and while it’s still in the top 20, a look at how age groups feel about their happiness may shed some insight.
This year’s report is the first time rankings have been given based on age group and happiness among youth in North America has fallen sharply to the point where those under 30 are less happy than those 60 and older.
Canadians in that age group ranked their happiness to the point where the country was ranked number eight, but it falls drastically to the 58th spot when looking at how those under 30 answered.
Barrington-Leigh suggested part of what is causing the decrease in happiness for youth may include feeling less support from family and friends when needed, a lack of trust in government, as well as more stress and anxiety.
“One of the securities that are
Read more on globalnews.ca
