Young people aged 15 to 24 are less and less happy in Europe and the United States

According to the World Happiness Report published on Wednesday, France is 48th when people under 30 are surveyed. The United States ranks 62nd when we look at this age category.

Happiness is in Finland. For the seventh year in a row, the Nordic country was named the happiest country in the world by the UN-sponsored World Happiness Report, published on Wednesday March 20. Northern European countries come first, with Denmark, Iceland and Sweden following Finland. France is 27^e and, for the first time in more than ten years, the United States and Germany fell out of the 20 happiest nations, arriving respectively in 23^e and 24^e places.

None of the most populous countries in the world are among the top 20 in this ranking: “Among the top ten, only the Netherlands and Australia have more than 15 million inhabitants. Within the top twenty, only Canada and the United Kingdom have more than 30 million inhabitants”, according to the report. And when it examines the health of the youngest, aged 15 to 24, the report becomes alarmist. “Since 2006-2010, the happiness of young people has fallen sharply in North America, to the point where young people are less happy than old people. The happiness of young people has also declined, but less sharply, in Western Europe”he writes.

“Disconcerting declines”

This global report, created in 2012, is an annual barometer of well-being in 140 countries, coordinated by the Wellbeing Research Center at the University of Oxford, Gallup and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. ‘UN. It is based on people’s assessment of their happiness, on economic and social data, and integrates six key factors: social support, income, health, freedom, generosity and absence of corruption. This report shows “disconcerting declines [du bonheur des jeunes], particularly in North America and Western Europe”assures the British daily The Guardian Professor Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, director of the Wellbeing Research Center and editor-in-chief of the study.

“The thought that children in some parts of the world are already experiencing the equivalent of a mid-life crisis demands immediate political action.”

Jan-Emmanuel De Neve, editor-in-chief of the happiness report

in “The Guardian”

After twelve years in which people under 30 were measured as being happier than older generations in the United States, the trend appears to have reversed in 2017. When younger Americans are surveyed, the country is richest in the world is ranked 62^e. He climbs to 10^e place when the opinions of people aged 60 and over are included. This trend is also observed, to a lesser degree, in Europe. “Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, the United Kingdom and Spain are countries where older people are now significantly happier than younger people, while Portugal and Greece show the opposite trend”, details the report. Thus, France is 25^e when we question elderly people, and 48^e when we listen to the youngest.

The impact of social networks

The report does not explain this decline among young Westerners. But the Intergenerational Foundation association puts forward some hypotheses in The Guardian : “Young adults are being hit on all sides by a toxic combination of government policy, a housing affordability crisis, stagnant wages and a high cost of living. It’s no wonder that their generation is experiencing unprecedented levels of mental health problems while their future looks so bleak.”

Dr. Vivek Murthy, who oversees the United States Public Health Service (USPHS), interviewed by The Guardianalso points to the effect of social networks while American adolescents “spend an average of 4.8 hours per day” above and that“a third of teens stay up until midnight or later on weeknights on their devices”. He compares them to the first automobiles, built without safety systems.

“What’s happening on social media is like having kids in cars without safety features and driving on roads without speed limits. (…) And we tell them: ‘Do your best, figure out how to deal with this ‘.”

Vivek Murthy, supervisor of the United States Public Health Service (USPHS)

in “The Guardian”

The abundance of information, often negative, does not help either since young people are bombarded on their phones with “headlines that constantly tell them that the world is broken and the future is dark”. “What happened was a fundamental failure of governments to protect young people from the harmful effects of a new technology, he concludesand this is no longer new.” While he is still waiting to see data proving that these networks are safe for children and adolescents, the doctor calls for international action to improve real social connections between young people.