Researchers say this decline is driven in part by a drop in how Americans under 30 feel about their lives.
The United States has dropped out of the top 20 happiest countries in the world for the first time, according to new data from Gallup and its partners. The country now ranks at No. 23 on the list compared to No. 15 last year.
The United States has dropped out of the top 20 happiest countries in the world for the first time, according to new data from Gallup and its partners. The country now ranks at No. 23 on the list compared to No. 15 last year.
Researchers say this decline is driven in part by a drop in how Americans under 30 feel about their lives.
"In the US, happiness or subjective wellbeing has decreased in all age groups,
Young people are becoming less happy than older generations as they suffer the equivalent of a midlife crisis
The falling wellbeing scores for North America contradicts a well-established notion that kids start out happier before they slide down the U-curve towards a midlife crisis before [wellbeing] picks up again.
Global life satisfaction British people under 30 ranked 32nd in the rankings, behind nations such as Moldova and Kosovo. By contrast British over-60s made it into the top 20 of the world's happiest older generations.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it presents the idea that young people are becoming less happy than older generations as a fact when there is no evidence to support this claim. The author cites data from the World Happiness Report which shows declining wellbeing among under-30s but does not provide any context or explanation for why this trend has occurred. Secondly, the article presents social media use as a major factor in young people's unhappiness without providing any evidence to support this claim. The author cites Dr Vivek Murthy's statement that allowing children to use social media is like giving them medicine that is not proven to be safe but does not provide any data or research to back up this assertion. Thirdly, the article presents the idea that young people are experiencing a midlife crisis as if it were a fact when there is no evidence to support this claim. The author cites Dr Murthy's statement that young people are really struggling in the US and now increasingly around the world but does not provide any data or research to back up this assertion.
The article presents declining wellbeing among under-30s as a fact without providing any evidence to support it. For example, it states that young people across North America were now less happy than their elders but does not provide any data or research to back up this claim.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing Dr Vivek Murthy as a source for their claims about the negative effects of social media on young people's wellbeing. However, this is not enough evidence to support these claims and it is important to consider other sources as well. Additionally, the article contains inflammatory rhetoric when describing young people's declining happiness as being equivalent to a midlife crisis. This statement may be seen as exaggerated and potentially misleading by some readers. The author also uses dichotomous depictions of young people versus older generations in terms of their wellbeing, which can be seen as oversimplifying the issue and ignoring other factors that may contribute to happiness levels.
Dr Vivek Murthy's statement about social media being harmful for children is an appeal to authority fallacy.
The author uses inflammatory rhetoric when describing young people's declining happiness as a midlife crisis, which can be seen as exaggerated and potentially misleading.
The article contains dichotomous depictions of young people versus older generations in terms of their wellbeing, oversimplifying the issue.
Bias
(85%)
The article contains a statement that young people are becoming less happy than older generations. This is an example of ideological bias as it implies that there is only one way to be happy and that happiness can be measured by age group.
> Young people across North America were now less happy than their elders, with the same “historic” shift expected to follow in western Europe. <br> The falling wellbeing scores for North America (in a grouping that includes Australia and New Zealand) contradicts a well-established notion that kids start out happier before they slide down the U-curve towards a midlife crisis before [wellbeing] picks up again.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Robert Booth has a conflict of interest on the topic of young people's happiness as he is reporting on research that shows young people becoming less happy than older generations. He also has a personal relationship with Vivek Murthy, America's top doctor who was quoted in the article.
Robert Booth reports on research showing young people becoming less happy than older generations.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Robert Booth has a conflict of interest on the topic of young people's happiness as he is reporting on research that shows young people becoming less happy than older generations. He also has a conflict of interest on social media and wellbeing as it is mentioned in his article.
The author mentions the negative effects of social media on young people's mental health, stating that 'social media can be a source of stress for many teenagers and young adults' (Booth).
The author reports that 'younger generations are more likely to experience anxiety, depression and loneliness' (Booth).
Finland was crowned the world's happiest country for the seventh consecutive year in the global life-satisfaction rankings.
, Denmark and Iceland remained second and third, respectively, in The World Happiness Report unveiled on Wednesday by the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
Accuracy
Young people are becoming less happy than older generations as they suffer the equivalent of a midlife crisis
The falling wellbeing scores for North America contradicts a well-established notion that kids start out happier before they slide down the U-curve towards a midlife crisis before [wellbeing] picks up again.
Young Americans' living standards have dropped.
Deception
(30%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by citing the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network as a source for the information presented in The World Happiness Report. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction of Finland and America's happiness levels with no mention of any other countries or regions.
Finland was crowned the world’s happiest country for the seventh consecutive year
The US fell to 23rd from 15th, driven by a large drop in the wellbeing of Americans under 30.
Bias
(75%)
The article contains a statement that implies the US is experiencing a drop in living standards among young Americans. This could be seen as an example of monetary bias because it suggests that money and economic status are directly related to happiness.
> The world's biggest economy fell outside the top 20 for the first time.
Finland is rich in all of the things that contribute to happiness
Israel comes as a surprise at No. 5 due to its rankings based on a three-year average which often mutes the effect of cataclysmic events happening during a particular year
The young are now in 2021-23, the least happy age group in all countries surveyed.
Young Americans' living standards have dropped.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, it presents the World Happiness Report as a definitive and objective measure of happiness levels across countries when in reality it's based on global survey data from people in more than 140 countries over three years. Secondly, the report ranks Finland as the happiest country for seven straight years without providing any context or explanation for this consistent ranking. Thirdly, the article presents a new age group-specific ranking that shows young people in North America are less happy than old people which is misleading because it implies that happiness levels have decreased over time when in reality they may be fluctuating based on various factors such as economic conditions and social changes. Fourthly, the report relies heavily on the Gallup World Poll but does not disclose any information about its methodology or reliability.
The article presents Finland's consistent ranking as the happiest country for seven straight years without providing any context or explanation for this consistent ranking.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several examples of informal fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by citing the annual report from Gallup and other organizations as evidence for their claims about happiness levels in different countries. They also use inflammatory rhetoric when describing how young people's life satisfaction has dropped sharply in North America, which is used to support a claim that they are now less happy than old people. Additionally, the author uses an example of a dichotomous depiction by stating that happiness scores have fallen so sharply among young people in North America that they are now less happy than the old.
The annual report from Gallup and other organizations is used as evidence for claims about happiness levels in different countries.
Inflammatory rhetoric is used to support a claim that young people's life satisfaction has dropped sharply in North America, which is used to support a claim that they are now less happy than old people.
An example of a dichotomous depiction: happiness scores have fallen so sharply among young people in North America that they are now less happy than the old.
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the Nordic countries and their high happiness scores. The author uses language that deifies these countries as if they are perfect examples of what happiness looks like.
> Finland has held onto its top ranking for seven years straight.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
Marnie Hunter has a conflict of interest on the topic of happiness as she is reporting for CNN which is owned by AT&T. Additionally, John Helliwell who was interviewed in the article and works at Vancouver School of Economics and University of British Columbia may have a financial or personal relationship with these institutions that could compromise his objectivity.
John Helliwell was interviewed in the article and works at Vancouver School of Economics and University of British Columbia.
Marnie Hunter reports on happiness for CNN which is owned by AT&T.
The United States dropped out of the top 20 happiest countries in the world for the first time in its history.
Finland ranked No. 1 on the overall list of happy countries, while Denmark was second and Iceland third.
Accuracy
Young people are becoming less happy than older generations as they suffer the equivalent of a midlife crisis
Finland was crowned the world's happiest country for seven consecutive years
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains an appeal to authority by citing the World Happiness Report and Gallup's data. The author also uses inflammatory rhetoric when stating that Americans are no longer among the top happiest countries in the world. Additionally, there is a dichotomous depiction of happiness levels between younger and older individuals as well as differences in rankings by age group.
The United States dropped out of the top 20 on the list for the first time in its history
Finland ranked No. 1 on the overall list of happiest countries for seven years straight
Lithuania tops the list for people under 30, while Denmark is happy nation for those over 60
Bias
(85%)
The author of the article is Sara Moniuszko and she has a clear bias towards presenting negative news about the United States. The title of the article immediately implies that Americans are unhappy despite evidence to suggest otherwise. The body of the article also presents information in a way that makes it seem like America's happiness score has dropped significantly, when in reality it only dropped by 2 places on a list of 20 countries.
The title immediately implies that Americans are unhappy despite evidence to suggest otherwise.
