Canada fell to 15th place in the 2024 World Happiness Report, dropping two spots from where it was in 2023, with Canadians under 30 feeling especially downcast. The World Happiness Report* is an evaluation of annual worldwide happiness rankings. It reviews the present state of happiness and well-being while offering explanations of personal and national differences when it comes to happiness.
For the first time, this year’s rankings were given based on age groups, and youth in North America have shown a substantial drop, revealing that Canadians under 30 have a much lower level of happiness compared to those over 60. When looking at Canadians aged 30 and under, their placement fell to the 58th spot.
The report “takes in data from the Gallup World Poll of people from more than 140 countries, then ranks countries by their average life evaluations over the three previous years, in this case, 2021-23,” according to the World Happiness Report website. The report measures GDP per capita, life expectancy, freedom to make life choices, social support, generosity, and perceptions of corruption. These six main indicators are meant to create an accurate representation of happiness. Respondents rate their own lives and experiences in these categories.
Those under the age of 30 report feeling like they have less support from family and friends when they need it. They also have less hope about living circumstances and uncertainty in terms of their futures; there is a growing lack of stability amongst the generation due to a continually rising cost of living.
Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at New York University postulates that Gen-Z has faced “unprecedented challenges and novel social dynamics.” This generation has undoubtedly been through challenging times, like a global pandemic, rising wealth inequality, and a housing crisis. The ascendency of social media-laden smartphones has also been a crucial factor in the growing anxiety plaguing Gen-Z, making global tragedies like mass school shootings and international conflicts feel much closer to home.
Christopher Barrington-Leigh, an associate professor at McGill University’s equity, ethics, and policy department, suggested that these youth may also have a lack of trust in the government as well as overall higher levels of stress and anxiety. “One of the securities that are important for life satisfaction is actually just stability, feeling safe,” he said in an interview with Global News. “That has something to do with knowing what’s coming and that is very naturally harder for the youth because they don’t have a long past to look at.” This points to a lack of trust in and suspicion of the government, a connection to negative perceptions of the economy and increasing public concern about crime, as violence portrayed in the media can lead to a declining public trust.
Stress and anxiety permeate the lives of those under 30. Precarity has led many Canadians to believe that given the current economy, they will be unable to secure the long term financial stability needed to buy a home and start a family. A definite snub to this generation’s “freedom to make life choices.”
A survey polling more than 1,500 employed Canadians aged 18-34 were found to be significantly more likely than those aged 55 and older to be struggling with mental health. According to this survey by Ipsos for RBC Insurance, “the majority (69 per cent) of employed Gen-Z and millennial Canadians are struggling with anxiety, while 59 per cent are dealing with depression.”
The rising cost of living and lack of housing affordability have led people to believe they will never achieve a “good life” and that their work will not pay off. Felix Cheung, Canada’s research chair in population well-being told Global News, “One possible reason why we’re seeing this decline in happiness among youth is that I think we need to really think about whether or not our younger folks feel hard work can bring success.”
The country that currently holds the number one spot in the report is Finland. They have held this position for the past seven years. Cheung believes it is because their people feel a strong sense of support from the community that relates to their overall mental strength and contentment.
Barrington-Leigh and Cheung both concluded that the declining happiness of youth is a sign that policy makers should be focusing efforts on improving the overall quality of life of Canadians.
Cheung told Global News it’s especially concerning when an entire age group is struggling, as is now the case with young Canadians. “When the entire population isn’t happy, it’s now no longer an individual problem but a structural problem.” .
