USA TODAY: Switzerland’s residents are the most satisfied with their lives for the second consecutive year, according to the Better Life Index released last week. The study, published annually by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), reported that United States failed to crack the top 10 for the fourth consecutive year, while neighbors Mexico and Canada did…
One of the most important factors contributing to higher life evaluations is the presence of healthy job market. Of the 11 nations with the highest levels of life satisfaction, nine were among the top 10 nations by employment rate, measured as the percentage of the working-age population that is employed.…
In the U.S., life satisfaction continued to drop, from 14th in last year’s report to 17th in this year’s report. This is despite the fact the U.S. led all nations in both disposable income and household net wealth per capita. One reason, Boarini highlighted, was that inequality remained pervasive in the United States. “We do know the more unequally the income is distributed the lower the life satisfaction.” In fact, according to OECD statistics, the U.S. has a higher Gini coefficient — which measures the degree of income inequality in a country after accounting for taxes and transfer payments — than all but a few member nations… (more)
EDITOR: Our unemployment rate for at least the past three years has been self inflicted, due to Republican refusal to engage in fiscal stimulus. Sole reliance on monetary policy has run up the stock market but done little to put people back to work. So sad. So ignorant. So mean.
