Climbing the (Cantril) ladder

The year 2024 ends with the world on a knife-edge. Governments are waging war in Ukraine and the Middle East. Violence and unrest afflict societies across the globe. In the high-income countries of Europe and North America, elected leaders are wildly unpopular, with disapproval ratings far higher than approval ratings. High incomes are evidently no protection against deep political malaise, though they certainly offer households a measure of protection against the rampant failures of their governments.

I will venture to say that the World Happiness Report offers an escape route from the darkening clouds.

The message of the World Happiness Report is simple: governments must go back to basics – to their very purpose. According to Aristotle, the founder of political science, the true purpose of government is the wellbeing, or ‘eudaimonia’, of the community. Any other goals – glory, military might, economic growth – are subsidiary to wellbeing at best, and directly harmful at worst.

Very few governments are properly oriented towards their citizens’ wellbeing, or even know much about that wellbeing or how to promote it. Every year, the World Happiness Report makes three essential points. First, happiness can be measured, in part by asking people about their life satisfaction, as Gallup does so well around the world each year. Second, happiness is determined, among other factors, by social trust, care for others, and the honesty and skill of government. Third, the several factors – economic, social, political, and others – that lead to happiness can be supported by government policies. In other words, the happiness of a country is shaped both by the values of its people and the skills of its government.

Too many governments are focusing on the wrong issues. In the US, we are often told, the national grand strategy is “primacy” or military dominance. Is this grand strategy bringing about US happiness? No. In the words of political scientist John Mearsheimer, the struggle for dominance leads to the “tragedy of great power politics,” rather than happiness. Some other countries are focused on territorial gain, ruling over others, or maximizing the wealth of the wealthiest citizenry.

The WHR’s precepts remain unchanged. First, our societies and our politics should be judged by the extent to which they promote the thriving of their citizens. Second, no person – and certainly no country – should aim to achieve happiness through the misery of others, through the theft of land, exploitation of the weak, or the pursuit of profit at the cost of environmental destruction. Third, we must hold ourselves accountable, as individuals and nations, since happiness is not only the greatest good, but is a moral imperative in how we make our personal life choices and how we choose collectively as citizens. Peace, social justice, and environmental sustainability should mark the true path to happiness while war, soaring inequality, and environmental devastation lead only to misery. Fourth, detailed measurement and careful scholarship open new vistas on how happiness can be promoted in the 21st century.

In future years, the World Happiness Report will not only detail the trends in subjective wellbeing and the relative performance of nations, but also the extent to which governments are oriented towards their citizens’ wellbeing, by collecting the evidence, reporting on the findings, and taking clear steps to correct harms and promote thriving. The country of Bhutan pioneered the conscious and systematic application of public policy towards ‘Gross National Happiness’. This did not make Bhutan the happiest of nations since, after all, Bhutan was, and still remains, a developing country facing many deep and practical societal challenges. Yet the effort did make Bhutan a wonderful inspiration to the world, and one that gave rise to the World Happiness Report itself.

As this difficult year closes, I know that I speak on behalf of all the editors that our commitment to happiness as the proper aim of politics remains as fervent as ever, as does our optimism that our world, together, can indeed climb the (Cantril) ladder of wellbeing in 2025 and the years ahead.

Prof Jeffrey Sachs
Editor, World Happiness Report

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