American Young People Are Not Happy
Insights from the 2024 World Happiness Report
March 20 is celebrated as the International Day of Happiness, and in observance of the day, the 2024 World Happiness Report has been released.
In addition to ranking countries around the world on the basis of their citizens’ happiness, the report also offers some surprising revelations about other global attitudes and feelings.
As reported in many media outlets, one of the more surprising news items in this year’s report is how unhappy many young people, particularly those in America, are.
What the World Happiness Report Is
The report is co-authored every year by several organizations: Gallup, the Oxford Wellbeing Research Centre, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network, and the World Happiness Report (WHR) Editorial Board. It’s based on international responses to Gallup World Polls that ask questions about six variables: levels of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom to make life choices, and corruption.
It’s produced by those organizations in an effort to further understanding of what helps individuals feel happiness in their lives, and how that happiness relates to overall public and government policy.
