Expert: Canada ranks 15th in latest World Happiness Report

While happiness may have felt far off as the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the globe, the latest World Happiness Report (WHR) has ranked Canadians in 15th place, slipping down from the 10th position the previous year. The report is released annually by a team of independent researchers and weighs six variables: income, freedom, trust in government, healthy life expectancy, social support, and generosity. (CTV News)

Here is an expert from McGill University who can provide comment on this issue:

Christopher Barrington-Leigh, Associate Professor, Institute for Health and Social Policy and Bieler School of Environment

“The World Happiness Report comes out this year after a global experiment that altered the life conditions of many, brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In Canada, it is also a year in which significant efforts towards wellbeing measurement and policy-making are afoot in Nova Scotia and in Ottawa.”

Chris Barrington-Leigh is an Associate Professor cross-appointed to the Institute for Health and Social Policy and the Bieler School of Environment and an Associate Member in the Department of Economics. His research makes use of subjective well-being reports to address the relative importance of social and community-oriented aspects of life as compared with material consumption.

chris.barrington-leigh [at] mcgill.ca (English, French)