Opinion | Latest global happiness report has lessons for Hong Kong

As middle-income economies surpass high-income ones in happiness levels in Ipsos’ latest survey, Hong Kong may need to look beyond GDP to boost contentment

Mainland China topped Ipsos’ list, with respondents citing relationships with family and friends as their top drivers of happiness

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A student is hugged by her relative after completing China’s national college entrance exams in Beijing on June 10, 2021. Photo: AP

Published: 6:45pm, 26 Mar 2023

It’s certainly good to know that the world is a happier place, for the second year in a row. At least that’s what a recently conducted global survey on happiness and life satisfaction says.

In its latest report, Paris-based market research and consulting firm Ipsos found global happiness had risen 6 percentage points since last year, with 73 per cent of adults, across 32 markets, describing themselves as happy.

That’s also 10 percentage points higher than in August 2020, when the global health crisis stopped us in our tracks. To find almost three quarters of the world’s adults happy about where they’re at is not bad at all.

We have more than survived; we have persevered and are bouncing back – better and more resilient.

But as the surveyors were quick to put out, the rising happiness tide isn’t lifting all boats. Self-reported happiness rose sharply across Latin America while crashing in many Western countries.

Ipsos highlighted Colombia and Argentina’s 26-point year-on-year gains; Brazil and Peru scored higher by 20 and 18 percentage points, respectively. The UK took a 13-point dive, Poland fell by seven points and Canada by six, while Belgium, Germany, and former “happiness champion” Australia all recorded a five-point happiness drop.

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