When most people think about the happiest place in the world, the first thing that comes to mind is a white sandy beach, perfect weather and little societal stress. The last thing that comes to mind is a grey-snowy country. But that’s just where it is.
This year, Denmark has again taken the top spot as the world’s happiest country, in surveys done by Gallup World Poll and the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development. Denmark is a mixed-market economy — often described as a combination of socialism and capitalism.
The poll is easy. Random citizens from selected countries are asked questions like, “Rate your life on a scale from 1-10,” “How’s your day?” and “Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday?”
The U.S. didn’t manage to make it into the top 10. But with the U.S.’s current economic climate, and the attitudes of the American people, is anyone really surprised?
Perhaps the U.S. could learn a thing or two from Denmark, or at least be towards incorporating positive aspects of socialist ideas into the economy and an expansive welfare system.
Simon Chapple, an economist for the OECD, said in an ABC article that economic wealth and happiness affect one another. Take Denmark — their 2009 GDP was $68,000 while the U.S.'s was $47,000. Also, Denmark’s current unemployment rate is 7.1 percent while the U.S. is at 9.1 percent.
Sure, the Danes with higher income can pay 51.5 percent in income taxes, while the U.S. pays 35 percent for those in the top tax bracket. However, Denmark gets more “bang” for their buck. Dan Buetter, who has studied Denmark’s “happiness” for five years in a National Geographic study, said in an NPR interview, “What you get for paying those high taxes is if you're a parent thinking about putting your child through school, you don't have to worry about it, because all education through college is free. In fact, college students draw a salary.”
The average college student in Denmark is paid depending on how well they do in school, making student loans virtually nonexistent.
This would virtually make the Occupy Wall Street movement, a product of unbridled capitalism, unnecessary. Student loans are one of the biggest worries for people who aren’t so well off. The protester’s wish for higher taxes on the wealthy would also be granted as well.
Another thing Danes don't have to worry about is health care. Denmark, as well as eight other countries in the top 10, offers universal health care. Why is the U.S. so opposed to such a system? Health care should be a right, as Denmark treats it, not a privilege, which is how the U.S. views it. This is a result of the greedy society we live in.
Along with universal health care comes six months paid maternity leave, and paid child daycare. “There’s a certain lowering of stress in people’s daily lives, “ Buetter said.
Other little perks the Danes enjoy are fewer hours at work (37 work hours in a week), safe streets, good transportation, six-week vacations, etc.
The U.S. needs to take note; the American dream — a result of a capitalist society with little market regulations — now consists of owning a house you cannot make payments on, paying taxes that lower-income individuals cannot afford and college graduates saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in student debt. They cannot afford to make payments because of the lack of jobs.
The dream of a couple with two children living in a nice house with green grass, a well-paying job and living a happy life has moved to Denmark — perhaps it should be the “Danish dream" rather than the “American dream.”
Reach the columnist at obrunaci@asu.edu
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