The 2024 World Happiness Report unveiled that a decrease in well-being among individuals under the age of 30 has caused the United States to fall out of the top 20 ranking of happiest nations.
Global research has uncovered a trend where young individuals are experiencing a decline in happiness compared to older generations, akin to what is commonly referred to as a midlife crisis. America's leading medical authority has also raised concerns, stating that "young people are really struggling."
Dr. Vivek Murthy, the Surgeon General of the United States, likened permitting children to use social media to administering unproven medication. He emphasized that the lack of effective government regulation of social media in recent years was "insane."
Murthy addressed new data indicating that younger individuals across North America are now experiencing lower levels of happiness compared to older generations, with a similar "historic" transition anticipated in Western Europe, as reported by Guardian.
Following a 12-year period during which individuals aged 15 to 24 were deemed happier than older generations in the US, the trend reversed in 2017. Similarly, the disparity has diminished in Western Europe, and it is speculated that a similar shift could occur in the next year or two.
Murthy characterized the findings of the report as a “red flag that young people are really struggling in the US and now increasingly around the world”. He emphasized his continued anticipation for data validating the safety of social media platforms for children and adolescents, and advocated for international efforts to enhance real-life social interactions for young people.
The World Happiness Report, an annual assessment of well-being in 140 nations led by Oxford University’s Wellbeing Research Centre, Gallup, and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, revealed “disconcerting drops [in youth happiness] especially in North America and western Europe,” according to Professor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of the Wellbeing Research Centre and editor of the study.
“To think that in some parts of the world children are already experiencing the equivalent of a midlife crisis, demands immediate policy action,” he said.
De Neve added that the declining well-being scores for North America, which includes Australia and New Zealand, challenge the conventional belief that children begin with higher happiness levels before experiencing a decline towards a mid-life crisis, followed by a subsequent improvement in well-being.
British individuals under the age of 30 were ranked 32nd in the happiness rankings, trailing behind nations like Moldova, Kosovo, and even El Salvador, despite its high murder rate. Conversely, British citizens over the age of 60 secured a position in the top 20 happiest older generations globally. Earlier this month, a majority of British teenagers expressed pessimism, telling pollsters they anticipate a lower quality of life compared to the previous generation.
In the overall happiness rankings, the US dropped eight places to 23rd. However, when specifically considering individuals under 30, the world's wealthiest nation ranked 62nd, falling behind Guatemala, Saudi Arabia, and Bulgaria. On the other hand, when only the perspectives of individuals aged 60 and over were considered, the US ranked as the 10th happiest nation.
The report highlighted, “For the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, happiness has decreased in all age groups, but especially for the young, so much so that the young are now, in 2021-23, the least happy age group.”
This is in stark contrast to 2010 when they were happier than those in midlife
While the report does not pinpoint the exact causes of these changes, concerns have grown regarding the impact of increased social media usage, income disparities, housing shortages, and anxieties about war and climate change on the happiness of children and young adults.
Murthy pointed out that US adolescents spend nearly five hours daily on social media on average, with a third staying up until midnight on weekdays using their devices. He urged for immediate legislation to mitigate the harms to young people caused by social media, proposing measures such as limiting or removing features like "like" buttons and infinite scrolling.
The World Happiness Report assesses subjective well-being based on respondents' evaluations of their lives and their positive and negative emotions. Once again, Finland, Denmark, and Iceland claimed the top three spots as the happiest countries.
Jukka Siukosaari, Finland's ambassador to London, attributed his nation's happiness to an "infrastructure of happiness," characterized by a safe and secure environment, affordable cultural expression opportunities, and relatively equal incomes, all rooted in high levels of trust between citizens and institutions.
Costa Rica and Kuwait entered the top 20, while Germany slipped from 16th to 24th. Afghanistan and Lebanon remained the least happy nations. Notably, many African nations, Cambodia, Russia, and China experienced increasing happiness, with Serbia registering the most significant improvement.
According to the report, childhood well-being and emotional health serve as strong predictors for adult life satisfaction. Previous research indicates that adolescents and young adults reporting higher life satisfaction tend to earn significantly higher incomes later in life, even after accounting for differences in education, intelligence, physical health, and self-esteem.
Lord Layard, a Labour peer in the UK parliament and co-editor of the report, emphasized the importance of child well-being in the upcoming general election, advocating for pledges to enhance mental health support teams and implement life skills education in all schools.
