1. Social Development and Happiness in nations 1990-2010 Ruut Veenhoven Erasmus University Rotterdam Presentation at Conference Taking Stock: Measuring Social Development International Institute of Social Studies December 14-15 2011, The Hague, Netherlands

2. Social development and Happiness The issue Social development Happiness Does social development foster happiness? –Independent of economic development? –More so than economic development?

3. The issue Disenchantment with primacy of economic development Call for more emphasis on social development Expectation that social development matters more for happiness

4. Questions Social development linked to happiness? –level –change Independent of economic development? More so than economic development?

5. Social development

6. Not societal development in macro-sociological sense Degree to which social life in contemporary societies fits ideals of: –involvement –connectedness –equality Also called ‘social capital’

7. Happiness

8. Concept Measurement Differences across nations Trends over time

9. What is ‘happiness’? Four qualities of life

11. What is ‘happiness’? Four kinds of satisfaction

13. Measurement of happiness Example of a survey question Taking all together, how satisfied or dissatisfied are you with your life as a whole these days? 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Dissatisfied Satisfied

14. Happiness Difference across nations

15. Happiness in Denmark

16. Happiness in Zimbabwe

17. Happiness in nations 2000-2009 Denmark8,3 Netherlands7,6 USA7,4 France6,6 Russia5,5 Iraq4,7 Zimbabwe3,0

19. Trend happiness 1973-2010

20. Gains happiness 1973-2010, scale 0-10 Italy + 0,63 Denmark+ 0,55 USA+ 0,29 France+ 0,55 UK+ 0,26 Netherlands+ 0,26 Japan+ 0,20

21. Social development  happiness?

22. Comparison across nations Comparison over time, within nations Data set: States of nations. Part of World Database of Happiness

23. Social development  happiness? Across nations: Civic activism

24. Social development  happiness? Across nations: Intergroup cohesion

25. Social development  happiness? Across nations: Clubs and Associations

26. Social development  happiness? Across nations: Interpersonal S+T

27. Social development  happiness? Across nations: Gender equality

28. Social development  happiness? Comparison across nations 2010 rN Civic Activism+.62140 Intergroup Cohesion+.36141 Clubs associations+.11107 Safety-Trust+.40124 Gender Equality+.51143

29. Social development  happiness? Comparison over time 1990-2010

30. Social development  happiness? Over time: Civic activism

31. Social development  happiness? Across nations: Clubs and Associations

32. Social development  happiness? Over time: Interpersonal S+T

33. Social development  happiness? Over time: Gender equality

34. Social development  happiness? Comparison over time 1990-2010 Change ISD in nationCorrelation with change average life satisfaction rN Civic Activism+.0865 Intergroup Cohesion+.0453 Clubs - Associations-.2454 Safety-Trust-.2341 Gender Equality+.1363

35. Independent of economic development?

36. Social development  happiness? Independent of economic development? ISD 2010Correlation with average life satisfaction 2010 Zero order NWealth controlled N Civic Activism+.62140+.32135 Intergroup Cohesion+.36141+.03135 Clubs -associations+.11107+.10102 Safety-Trust+.40124+.02121 Gender Equality+.51143+.36135

37. More so than economic development?

38. Comparison across nations 2010 Comparison over time 1990-2010

39. More so than economic development? Across nations: Buying power p/c

40. More so than economic development? Comparison across nations Correlation with average life satisfaction rN Civic Activism+.62140 Intergroup Cohesion+.36141 Clubs - Associations+.11107 Safety-Trust+.40124 Gender Equality+.51143 Buying power p/c+.61138

41. More so than economic development? Over time: Buying power p/c

42. More so than economic development? Comparison over time Change ISDCorrelation with change average life satisfaction rN Civic Activism+.0865 Intergroup Cohesion+.0453 Clubs - Associations-.2454 Safety-Trust-.2341 Gender Equality+.1363 Change buying power p/c-.0939 Economic growth+.4040

43. Social development  happiness? Conclusions 1.No clear relation with - Intergroup cohesion - Clubs- associations - Safety –Trust 2.Consistent relation with : - Civic Activism - Gender Equality 3.Partly independent of economic development 4.No stronger than economic development

44. World Database of Happiness http://worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl