Flow Festival 2014 in Helsinki. Photo: Visit Helsinki /
Jussi Hellsten
Finland ranks as number one in the Happiness Equality Index Europe 2015 report. Next in line were The Netherlands, Norway, Denmark and Iceland.
The index is based on calculations of the standard deviation of the subjective wellbeing dimension of the latest European Social Survey. Finland stands out as the most equal country in Europe with a standard deviation of 1.35. Average standard deviation was 1.92.
A low standard deviation indicates that the data points tend to be very close to the mean of the set, while a high standard deviation indicates that the data points are spread out over a wider range of values. Finland has a low standard deviation, which means that the answers to the question “Taking all things together, how happy would you say you are?”, is concentrated around the national average of 8.0.
The study was conducted by Danish independent think tank the Happiness Research Institute which focuses on life satisfaction, happiness and quality of life.
The most unequal countries in Europe are Albania, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Ukraine, and Hungary in terms of well-being.
www.happinessresearchinstitute.com
Article first published at www.goodnewsfinland.com
