Report shows younger Canadians are becoming significantly unhappier than older Canadians
When it comes to the happiest countries in the world, Canada ranks fairly well compared to other nations, but the level of happiness amongst Canadians drastically changes when broken down by age, according to a new report.
The 2024 World Happiness Report, recently released by Gallup, ranked the happiness of 140 countries based on different categories.
The report first conducted a general ranking based on how countries responded to “self-assessed life evaluations.”
World Happiness Report
The life evaluations comprised six criteria: GDP per capita, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity, and corruption.
According to the ranking, the Nordic countries report being the happiest in the world. Finland placed first, followed by Denmark, Iceland, and Sweden.
Rounding out the top 10 was Israel in fifth place, the Netherlands in sixth, followed by Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Australia.
While Canada didn’t place in the top 10, it wasn’t too far away, ranking 15th.
Despite Canada ranking fairly well based on the life evaluation criteria, the report revealed that it was part of a group of countries, which includes the US, New Zealand, and Australia, where “happiness fell significantly.”
Younger Canadians are unhappier
The country’s decline in happiness can be seen when the rankings are broken down by age, which reveals that younger Canadians are having a harder time experiencing joy than their older counterparts.
Canada placed 58th on the ranking of happiness of younger ages (below 30), and our neighbours down south in the US report being even unhappier, placing 62nd on the list.
World Happiness Report
In comparison, older Canadians (60 and above) reported being quite happy, coming in eighth place in that age-specific ranking, highlighting a big difference in how content different age groups are in the country.
The US also fared quite well, placing 10th.
World Happiness Report
Canada wasn’t the only country that showed this disparity in happiness based on age.
“Countries with very different rankings at different ages reflect something unusual, relative to the world average experience for each group,” noted the report.
“For example, the four countries in the NANZ group – the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand – all have rankings for the young that are much lower than for the old…”
The report added that the biggest age discrepancies in happiness were seen in Canada and the US.
It’s no secret that times are tough for a lot of Canadians right now. With sky-high grocery prices, mind-boggling housing costs, and stressful jobs, it seems like there could be several factors contributing to the unhappiness of the younger generation in the country.
What do you think about Canada’s ranking? Let us know in the comments.
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