With new elections coming up here in the Netherlands and daily coverage of the election campaign, I was wondering whether this intense celebration of democracy actually makes us happy. I decided to dive into the matter, and found out that a well-oiled democracy is not at all guarantee for happiness. I also figured out that in a very undemocratic country, it’s hard to be happy, although there are some interesting exceptions!
There are several attempts to measure happiness, which is rather subjective compared to the objectively measurable economic results of a nation. One of those attempts is the Happy Planet Index. I compared the Happy Planet Index with the Democracy Index rank of The Economist, which you can find behind the country name:
- Costa Rica (27)
- Dominican Republic (73)
- Jamaica (49)
- Guatemala (79)
- Vietnam (149)
Let’s look at the five most democratic countries in the world according to the same Democracy Index, compared to their rank in the Happy Planet Index, which you can find behind the country name:
- Sweden (53)
- Norway (88)
- Iceland (94)
- The Netherlands (43)
- Denmark (105)
Let’s try another source! According to the World Database of Happiness, the following countries make up the top-5 highest ranking countries based on the question: “How much do you enjoy your life on a scale 1 to 10?” The list is based on the averages from 2000 to 2009. Again, behind the country names, you can find their level of democracy according to The Economist’s Democracy Index:
- Costa Rica (27)
- Denmark (5)
- Iceland (3)
- Switzerland (8)
- Canada (11)
This list already gives a better indication to believe that happiness and democracy are related. However, to get more complete picture, I decided to look after some random, undemocratic countries. Chad (166) is the second last country on the Democracy Index, after North Korea. It ranks 92nd in the World Database of Happiness. Tunisia ranks 141st on the Democracy Index, and 71st in the World Database of Happiness. Ghana is the 94th most democratic country in the world, and ranks 101st on the World Database of Happiness. Laos ranks 157th in the Democracy Index, but 59th in the World Database of Happiness.
It is interesting to conclude that a good democracy does per definition lead to a happy population. It is hard to define why that is the case, but it might well be that in those countries, democracy is often taken for granted and people divert to other reasons to be unhappy about. The fact that happiness doesn’t work out well in countries where democracy is all but present, can be explained by that these countries are often plagued by social and economic problems, strong military presence and a lack of basic needs.
The abovementioned conclusions are by no means scientific. But they do give a direction, and I will continue to explore this fascinating subject the upcoming weeks and months to go deeper into the matter in my upcoming book, How To Live Wow!?
photo by joatklipa
Follow 
rgukt is the important
P.S. One more thought. How happy one feels in a most democratic country also depends on which aspects of happiness are more important to him or her, personally: those democracy provides for, or that which is beyound it.
Thanks for this blog. Much to think about.
Good question you ask. Another words, will I feel happier if I move to a more democratic country? Would be cool if the solution was that simple, wouldn’t it?
If happiness, its simplest explanation, is being satisfied with, and fully enjoying one’s life, then democracy, the power of people, would seem to give them all means to create their life the way they want – a carte blanche to build their own happiness. So why is it not always the case? Here’s what I think…
First, it might be because a) people sometimes do not know what they really want their life to be, or b) they do, but don’t know how to achieve it. If you are given a brush and colours for painting a picture, this doesn’t necessarily mean you will create a masterpiece at once, though you have all the tools you need, and maybe even have a clear vision. Of course this is essential, but you should reach a certain level of skill.
Second, I’m not at all an expert here, but I would assume that democratic mechanisms, being similar in their essence, differ to some degree from country to country, some being more open and effective, some less.
Third. All leaders who are now holding the wheel have been elected by people to represent them, exactly because the latter assumed these figures understood and shared common needs and were able to make people happy. However, this is still just a small group of people, who a) might also have their own interests, not always corresponding with their election statements, and b) they still represent just a part of a nation (unless a nation is absolutely unanimous, which is, of course, utopical). Therefore, someone’s left unhappy anyway ;)
Then, as you said, when democracy is no longer an issue people switch to other things to be unsatisfied with. Visiting Geneve, a prosperous city in a democratic country, I was stunned to learn that it’s one of the leading European cities by the number of suicides. By the way, it would be also curious to explore correlation with one more element in your study: Happiness – Democracy – Wealth (Prosperity)…
There might be a cultural aspect as well: what does being happy actually mean in certain societies, and does democracy provide opportunities to achieve it?
And one more thing. Is there a point in talking about the happiness of a nation? Can democracy and all the good it brings guarantee one’s personal happiness?
My answer is yes, but only a part of it. The part that relates to opportunities of getting material good (to satisfy our physical needs) as well as access to knowledge, cultural assets and the freedom of self-expression, doing what you want to do (to satisfy our mind and soul). However, there’s one side of happiness which doesn’t depend on the regime – it’s love.
That’s why I would answer my initial question ‘yes’ and ‘no’. ‘Yes’, for the reasons listed above. ‘No’, because democracy is not a guarantee that I’ll be with my loved one.
Of course, as opposed to traditional societies where marriage is something imposed, when parents just ‘make a deal’ not taking into account young people’s feelings, democracy gives one a freedom to choose a person one wants to be with. So it definitely gives more opportunities, but can’t promise that you will find your soulmate. And again, even in a most closed society it may happen that people who are imposed to each other become the love of each other’s life. In the end, you only need one person in your life, and no matter which way you will ultimately meet him or her… So love is still something above all regimes (I know, I know, this sounds cheesy, but – does anyone disagree? ;))
All in all, democracy will surely make me happiER, to the degree it can… But will it make me happy? Still a question ;)