How Britain is bearing up to slings and arrows of modern life

It was back in 1599 that Shakespeare wrote there was something rotten in the state of Denmark.

Since then the Danes have of course invented Lego, introduced the world to Lurpak and having gone quietly about their business for the last 400 or so years they are now reaping the rewards.

Denmark has come out top in a new international index which maps the happiness of 34 countries across the world. The Better Life Index, set up by the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development, compared data on 11 different measures, including income, housing standards, health, education and crime. While Denmark and its liberal laidback approach to life may have been a shoo-in for the top spot in the happiness stakes, the results do contain some surprises.

For as long as anyone can remember we have been told that in Britain we work longer hours than most of our European neighbours, earn less and lead more stressful lives. Not so, says the OECD.

According to its first report, the British are actually happier with their lives, work shorter hours and earn more than their counterparts in other industrialised economies.

“The UK performs very well in overall well-being and ranks among the top countries for wealth, environment, good governance and community sprit,” says Angel Gurria, the OECD’s secretary general, reeling off a list of qualities most people thought belonged to a Great Britain of yesteryear.

“Three quarters of people said they had more positive feelings, like pride, accomplishment and enjoyment, during a day than negative ones like pain, worry, sadness and boredom. Also the number of people who said they were satisfied with their lives has risen over the past decade.”

Britain was ranked fifth when it came to wealth, boasting an average household income of £16,758 a year, and our usual complaints of being overworked seem to have been a little exaggerated. “That household income resulted from fewer hours of work than in many other countries. In fact just 0.12 per cent of British employees were found to be working very long hours.

“Our research also indicates that women were able to successfully balance family and career and that the country has a strong sense of community – 95 per cent of people know someone they can rely on in a time of need and more than half had helped a stranger within the past month.”

In perhaps the most astonishing statistic of all, despite the scorn usually reserved for politicians, 65 per cent of Brits said they trusted their political institutions compared to the OECD average of 56 per cent. All of which will be music to the ears of Prime Minister David Cameron, but will come as a surprise to those staring increased household bills, soaring university tuition fees and threat of redundancy in the face.

However, it’s not all good news. The index also highlights Britain’s blackspots, from child poverty, where progress has stalled and obesity, where the UK has the highest rates in Europe. It seems to suggest that when it comes to being truly happy, money does in fact make the world go round.

“While money might not buy happiness, it is an important means to achieving higher living standards and greater well being. The launch of this index, however, has the potential to find out what people really want and need, compared to what their governments are giving them.”

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