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Gallup’s World Happiness Poll finds Americans aren’t very
Hotair ^ | 03/23/2017 | Andrew Malcolm

Posted on 03/23/2017 9:21:26 PM PDT by SeekAndFind

Remember last June how shocked almost everyone was when Britons voted to leave the European Union?

By the usual measurements of economic growth (2%), unemployment (down to 4.9%) and standard poll questions on intent, professionals and many others were pretty certain the United Kingdom would decide to remain in the EU that it fought so long and hard to enter.

Oops.

Turns out, if media had measured “Happiness,” they’d have recognized the historic looming Brexit upheaval. Same for anticipating the Arab Spring.

In the 24 months preceding last June’s vote, Gallup found the number of British people who rated themselves happy, thriving, satisfied with life experienced a dramatic 15-point drop, among the largest two-year plunges in the polling history of Gallup’s global tracking.

The so-called Happiness Ranking comes from one question within Gallup’s World Poll, a massive survey in 150 countries. That question asks respondents to rate their life on a scale of 0 (worst ever) to 10 (the best Charlie Brown Snoopy happy life).

According to the latest findings, the worst possible lives occur in the Central African Republic (2.6), Burundi (2.9), Tanzania (3.3) and perhaps predictably, war-torn Syria (3.4).

The happiest possible lives also predictably occur in Scandinavia — Norway (7.53) and Denmark (7.52), followed by, you guessed it, Iceland (7.5), Switzerland (7.49), Finland (7.47) and Netherlands (7.46).

Canada is the happiest Commonwealth country at 7.3, ahead of Australia (7.28), poor unhappy South Africa (4.8), India (4.3) and even Sweden (also at 7.28).

Israel, Costa Rica and Austria count themselves as happier than Americans, who come in No. 14 at 6.9. No doubt that number will improve now that the the eight fractious years of Obama’s terms and the strident 2016 election campaign are over and the country has settled down so peacefully into the presidency of Donald Trump. (Who, by the way, was all for Brexit.)

The rest of the list is also interesting. Saudi Arabians (6.3) are happier than Italians (5.9). Iranians (4.7) are happier than Iraqis (4.5). Afghanis (3.8) are happier than Yemenis (3.6).

If you’re like me, you get regular missives from lawyers in Burkina Faso who share the sad story of their client, a dying widow. The good news, however, is she has chosen me, of all people, to inherit her late husband’s vast fortune — if only I send over a few thousand dollars to facilitate the bank transfer.

Naturally as a kind, generous American, I intended to do that. But Gallup reports that Burkina Fasoans are not a very happy people (4.0). So, out of the goodness of my heart, I’ve instructed those lawyers to just give away my unexpected inheritance to deserving people there, maybe get that Happiness number up closer to 5.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: gallup; happiness; poll
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1 posted on 03/23/2017 9:21:26 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Its being swayed by all those dumb dems who think Trump is the anti-Christ. Even though very few of them even know Christ.


2 posted on 03/23/2017 9:25:18 PM PDT by TonyM
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To: SeekAndFind

This isn’t very fair. They should take into consideration that half of the people living in this country right now are suffering from some serious mental issues. I’m pretty sure that if they only poll conservative Americans and Christians America would be #1. The retarded leftwing needs to recuse themselves from this poll. Those maggots would b*tch if you hung them with a new rope.


3 posted on 03/23/2017 9:25:46 PM PDT by FlingWingFlyer (I tried being reasonable, I didn't like it. - Clint Eastwood)
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To: SeekAndFind

The media pumps out bilge about Trump day after day after day.

They stir up the Left and demoralize the Right.

Then they run a poll and wonder why folks are cranky.

Rational thinking just isn’t their suit is it.


4 posted on 03/23/2017 9:27:22 PM PDT by DoughtyOne (NeverTrump, a movement that was revealed to be a movement. Thank heaven we flushed!)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

President Trump is very uplifting and gives me hope.

When does the swamp draining start though???


5 posted on 03/23/2017 9:28:38 PM PDT by bicyclerepair (MAGA)
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To: FlingWingFlyer

6 posted on 03/23/2017 9:30:55 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: DoughtyOne
The media pumps out bilge about Trump day after day after day.

I don't know what Trump has to do with this. He isn't even mentioned in the poll.
7 posted on 03/23/2017 9:35:08 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: bicyclerepair

Still waaay too many long-term unemployed in TX.
When will something be done about that?


8 posted on 03/23/2017 9:42:12 PM PDT by 353FMG (AMERICA FIRST.)
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To: SeekAndFind
No wonder Norway is so happy. From the net:

“Norway is building a steel fence at its arctic border with Russia after an influx of thousands of refugees last year. Last year, Russia and Norway battled to repeatedly reject the same refugees. Norway said it would begin sending refugees who have Russian residency permits back to Russia, arguing it had received no “satisfactory” explanation from Russia as to why it sent so many refugees…”

Okay - the fence is only 660 feet long, but still....(I'm guessing it must end in a swamp or something? Or just catches the ones that come along the road and slows them down enough at the border control?)

I'm guessing that the amount of oil revenues and distributions to the populace (what few Norwegians there are) is a big factor in their “Happiness” quotient. I think they have a higher incidence of alcholhism there.

9 posted on 03/23/2017 9:42:53 PM PDT by 21twelve (http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2185147/posts FDR's New Deal = obama)
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To: SeekAndFind

There is a correlation between self-love and happiness.

Other nations don’t teach it as an essential doctrine.


10 posted on 03/23/2017 9:51:57 PM PDT by lurk (TEat)
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To: SeekAndFind

They dont show the US trend, such as the British trend they use to “explain” Brexit.
I wonder why.
Maybe it explains Trump too.


11 posted on 03/23/2017 9:59:19 PM PDT by buwaya
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To: DoughtyOne

Exactly.


12 posted on 03/23/2017 9:59:41 PM PDT by Gator113 ( ~~Trump 2020~~)
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To: goldbux

Six of the seven Dwarfs are not Happy.


13 posted on 03/23/2017 10:06:35 PM PDT by goldbux (No sufficiently rich interpreted language can represent its own semantics. -- Alfred Tarski, 1936)
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To: SeekAndFind

You know what would help?
If we had tails.
You walk up to someone and hear their tail banging against a chair or the wall and you know they’re happy ti see you.
That would be kekifragilisticexpealidocious.


14 posted on 03/23/2017 10:07:39 PM PDT by tumblindice
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To: DoughtyOne

The data in this study was collected in 2016. Barack Obama was president then. Next year’s survey will be the first indication of how happy Americans are under President Trump.


15 posted on 03/23/2017 10:58:27 PM PDT by Nero Germanicus
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To: SeekAndFind

I wake up every day happy! I go grind the coffee beans and make the coffee and bring a cup to hubby dear! I am a happy American woman!


16 posted on 03/23/2017 11:21:06 PM PDT by buffyt (Humane Societies are proudly No Kill. When will Planned Parenthood be No Kill!??!?!!?!?!?!)
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To: 21twelve

A fence to keep out the unwanted immigrants... LOVE IT


17 posted on 03/23/2017 11:22:08 PM PDT by buffyt (Humane Societies are proudly No Kill. When will Planned Parenthood be No Kill!??!?!!?!?!?!)
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To: bicyclerepair

wall drain swamp no obamacare drill anywhere right n over dems now would be a good time


18 posted on 03/24/2017 1:57:31 AM PDT by brucedickinson
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To: buffyt

RE: Happy American woman

Seems like you’re asking for a Donna Fargo link
Here ya go then:

https://youtu.be/7QZNQIDLaIg


19 posted on 03/24/2017 2:07:16 AM PDT by j. earl carter
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To: SeekAndFind
Iceland, Denmark, Australia, Finland, etc. that high, huh?


20 posted on 03/24/2017 3:59:49 AM PDT by Trump20162020
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