BF2S Forums world happiness

Happy Planet Index

Your personal Happy Planet Index (HPI) is 61, which is similar to that of countries such as Senegal, Bhutan or Vietnam. This is above the world average of 46, but well below the target value of 83, so you can still do more to improve your health and well-being, or reduce your environmental impact. Your score is above that of your country, 34.1.

Below is a breakdown of the various components that make up your HPI score.
You:    
61
Average:    
42.1
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
    
 

Life Expectancy

Hurray! Your life expectancy is well above average for your gender and country. Probably, you're doing all the major things right - eating well, not smoking, getting regular exercise, and you're lucky enough to have the right genes. Are there any more ways you could make a difference? Some factors that improve your life expectancy are more surprising than others. For example, giving up your car, avoiding living alone, moving out of the city and shrugging off stress.
You:    
84.6
Average:    
79.6
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
    
 

Ecological Footprint

Your ecological footprint is 4.33 global hectares, or 2.41 planets. This is equivalent to the average in countries such as Japan, Oman or Latvia.

Your ecological footprint is below average for the country you live in. 

You are using between and one and a half and three times your share of the planet's resources (assuming no resources are put aside for other species). This is an amount typical of people in many industrialised countries, though just below the average for the UK. As such, if you are living in an industrialised country, you are probably doing some things well and some things not so well in terms of reducing your ecological impact. Seven ways that everyone can reduce their footprint include: 
It's obvious, but we have to say it. Conserve energy. Turn off the lights when you leave a room, buy energy-efficient bulbs and appliances, turn off your TV completely, rather than leave it on standby.
Reduce your waste. If there are ways to recycle where you live, try and do so. If you have a garden, start a compost heap. Re-use plastic bags. Give away clothes you don't use, rather than throwing them away. There are hundreds of little things you can do.
Live with someone! Whether it be your partner, family, children or friends, sharing your living space means sharing your ecological impact. It will probably also increase your well-being!
Leave your car in the garage. Car use has a huge impact on ecological footprint. Obviously it's easier for some people than others, but where possible, try to use public transport more. Or, even better, get on a bike, or simply walk!
Go local. Why buy tomatoes from another country, if you can get home grown ones? For those living in Europe - think about all those miles travelled by wine from South Africa and Australia, when Europe produces some of the best wines in the world.
You don't have to become vegetarian, but cutting down on meat, particularly beef, and particularly from animals fed by imported soya feed, is an effective step to reducing your footprint.
It has to be said that air travel is one of the biggest contributors to many people's footprints. For example, flying direct from London to Sydney and back would add 5.44 g ha to your footprint - that's the average Briton's footprint for an entire year. Flights with a connection add even more polluting air miles.
You:    
4.33
Average:    
5.32
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
    
 

Life Satisfaction

Brilliant! You reported a life satisfaction of 9, which is above the national averages for all the countries of the world. At the individual level, in the World Values Survey, only a quarter of respondents worldwide, and 29% of British respondents reported a life satisfaction of 9 or higher.
You:    
9
Average:    
6.72
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
    
 

Well-being

The new economics foundation (nef) recognises that there's more to life than feeling good, which is why our model for well-being is based on four domains – personal feelings, personal functionings, social feelings and social functionings. 'Feelings' refers to your attitude to the way you, your future and society are. 'Functionings' looks at whether you have the opportunities to do the things that bring you well-being. Like with life satisfaction, a score of 5 is theoretically the middle score, but, given the way most people respond to surveys, is below average.
Personal Feelings

In this online questionnaire, personal feelings are assessed with two questions – one testing your optimism and one testing your self-esteem.

You are very secure about yourself and about your future.
You:    
8.06
Average:    
6.05
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
    
Personal Functionings

In this online questionnaire personal functionings are assessed with five questions – two evaluating your subjective opinion on your health and how activity you are, the other three testing you for feelings of autonomy, purpose and worth.

You are healthy and overall feel autonomous, purposeful and able to demonstrate your abilities to others.
You:    
6.31
Average:    
6.13
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
    
Social Feelings

In this online questionnaire social feelings are assessed with four questions – three assessing your opinion of your community, whilst the last looks at personal relationships.

You are unsatisfied with, or perhaps indifferent to, the community within which you live. Sense of community is an important aspect of well-being. It is often lacking simply because there is little engagement taking place, as people lead atomised lives.

Another reason for this score, may simply be that you are currently unsatisfied by your personal relationships.
You:    
4.64
Average:    
5.67
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
    
Social Functionings

In this online questionnaire social functionings are assessed with four questions – two assessing your job / studies, one your free time, and one your community participation. If you did not respond to the work / study questions, your score is judged purely on the other two aspects.

You are satisfied with your job / course - it is interesting, and only occasionally stressful. Further it normally leaves you enough time to do the things you want to do.
You:    
6.79
Average:    
5.55
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]

Happy Planet Index

Your personal Happy Planet Index (HPI) is 62.1, which is similar to that of countries such as Cuba, Honduras or Guatemala. This is above the world average of 46, but well below the target value of 83, so you can still do more to improve your health and well-being, or reduce your environmental impact. Your score is above that of your country, 48.4.

Below is a breakdown of the various components that make up your HPI score.
You:     
62.1
Average:     
42.1
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
 
Life Expectancy

Congratulations. Your life expectancy is above average for your gender and country. Whether it's eating well, not smoking, getting regular exercise, or just being lucky enough to have the right genes, you're doing something right. However, nobody's perfect and we could all improve our health a little! Aside from getting all the above bits of your lifestyle right, there are some more surprising factors that can influence your life expect - for example, giving up your car, avoiding living alone, moving out of the city or shrugging off stress.
You:     
84.4
Average:     
79.6
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
 
Ecological Footprint

Your ecological footprint is 2.35 global hectares, or 1.31 planets. This is equivalent to the average in countries such as Antigua and Barbuda, St. Kitts and Nevis or Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Your ecological footprint is less than half the average for the country you live in.

You are using between one and one and a half times your share of the planet's resources (assuming no resources are put aside for other species). This is below average for industrialised countries, typical instead of people in many middle income countries such as Jamaica. The world average is 2.2 g ha. For those living in industrialised countries: you are probably already aware of your resource use, and act considerately. Knocking those last few deci-hectares of your footprint is, we know, very tricky. For people in the west, the most effective steps to take include the following:

   1. Park away your car for when you absolutely need it. Why not climb onto your bike, or the bus? 2-wheels good, 4-wheels bad (unless they're big, bus wheels, of course!)
   2. Cut down on meat. Depending on the animal you're eating and what it's been fed, it could be taking up to 16 pounds of crop feed from the fields to get 1 pound of meat into the supermarket. Of course, meat is not the only issue at hand. If your protein-rich vegan diet is being imported from the other side of the world, that's not too good for your footprint either.
   3. Perhaps the most guaranteed, but also most painful, way to reduce your footprint is to cut down on flights. For example, flying from London to Athens and back adds 0.77 g ha to your footprint - more than people in many countries use over an entire year.

You:     
2.35
Average:     
5.32
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
 
Life Satisfaction

You reported a life satisfaction of 7, which is about average for many Western countries, including the UK, Spain and Italy. Worldwide, 58% of respondents in the World Values Survey reported a life satisfaction of 7 or lower.
You:     
7
Average:     
6.73
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
 
Well-being

The new economics foundation (nef) recognises that there's more to life than feeling good, which is why our model for well-being is based on four domains – personal feelings, personal functionings, social feelings and social functionings. 'Feelings' refers to your attitude to the way you, your future and society are. 'Functionings' looks at whether you have the opportunities to do the things that bring you well-being. Like with life satisfaction, a score of 5 is theoretically the middle score, but, given the way most people respond to surveys, is below average.
Personal Feelings

In this online questionnaire, personal feelings are assessed with two questions – one testing your optimism and one testing your self-esteem.

You are optimistic about the future and probably also about yourself.
You:     
5.52
Average:     
6.05
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
Personal Functionings

In this online questionnaire personal functionings are assessed with five questions – two evaluating your subjective opinion on your health and how activity you are, the other three testing you for feelings of autonomy, purpose and worth.

You are healthy and overall feel autonomous, purposeful and able to demonstrate your abilities to others.
You:     
6.55
Average:     
6.13
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
Social Feelings

In this online questionnaire social feelings are assessed with four questions – three assessing your opinion of your community, whilst the last looks at personal relationships.

You have a strong sense of trust and belonging in your community and a happy personal life.
You:     
5.72
Average:     
5.68
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
Social Functionings

In this online questionnaire social functionings are assessed with four questions – two assessing your job / studies, one your free time, and one your community participation. If you did not respond to the work / study questions, your score is judged purely on the other two aspects.

You are satisfied with your job / course - it is interesting, and only occasionally stressful. Further it normally leaves you enough time to do the things you want to do.
You:     
7.23
Average:     
5.56
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]

Happy Planet Index

Your personal Happy Planet Index (HPI) is 36.5, which is similar to that of countries such as France, Czech Republic or Kenya. Sorry to say that this is below the world average of 46. For those living in the UK, you’ll also be disappointed to hear your score is below the national average. Your score is about the same as that of your country, 40.3.

Below is a breakdown of the various components that make up your HPI score.
You:     
36.5
Average:     
42.1
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
 
Life Expectancy

Congratulations. Your life expectancy is above average for your gender and country. Whether it's eating well, not smoking, getting regular exercise, or just being lucky enough to have the right genes, you're doing something right. However, nobody's perfect and we could all improve our health a little! Aside from getting all the above bits of your lifestyle right, there are some more surprising factors that can influence your life expect - for example, giving up your car, avoiding living alone, moving out of the city or shrugging off stress.
You:     
81
Average:     
79.6
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
 
Ecological Footprint

Your ecological footprint is 6.35 global hectares, or 3.53 planets. This is equivalent to the average in Canada or Denmark.

Your ecological footprint is about average for the country you live in.

Oh dear! You are using between three and five times your share of the planet's resources, even assuming no resources are set aside for other species. That's well above the world average, and even above the average for most industrialised countries. Perhaps it's time to start taking action. Here are some of the most effective steps that everyone can make to reduce their footprint:

   1. Leave your car in the garage. Car use has a huge impact on ecological footprint. Obviously it's more difficult for people in certain circumstances, but where possible, try to use public transport more. Or, even better, get on a bike!
   2. It's obvious, but we have to say it. Conserve energy. Turn off the lights when you leave a room, buy energy-efficient bulbs and appliances, turn off your TV completely, rather than leave it on standby.
   3. Reduce your waste. If there are ways to recycle where you live, try and do so. If you have a garden, start a compost heap. Re-use plastic bags. Give away clothes you don't use, rather than throwing them away. There are hundreds of little things you can do.
   4. You don't have to become vegetarian, but cutting down on meat, particularly beef, and particularly from animals fed by imported soya feed, is an effective step to reducing your footprint.
   5. It has to be said that air travel is one of the biggest contributors to many people's footprints. For example, flying direct from London to Sydney and back would add 5.44 g ha to your footprint - that's the average Briton's footprint for an entire year. Flights with a connection add even more polluting air miles.

You:     
6.35
Average:     
5.33
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
 
Life Satisfaction

You reported a life satisfaction of 7, which is about average for many Western countries, including the UK, Spain and Italy. Worldwide, 58% of respondents in the World Values Survey reported a life satisfaction of 7 or lower.
You:     
7
Average:     
6.73
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
 
Well-being

The new economics foundation (nef) recognises that there's more to life than feeling good, which is why our model for well-being is based on four domains – personal feelings, personal functionings, social feelings and social functionings. 'Feelings' refers to your attitude to the way you, your future and society are. 'Functionings' looks at whether you have the opportunities to do the things that bring you well-being. Like with life satisfaction, a score of 5 is theoretically the middle score, but, given the way most people respond to surveys, is below average.
Personal Feelings

In this online questionnaire, personal feelings are assessed with two questions – one testing your optimism and one testing your self-esteem.

You are optimistic about the future and probably also about yourself.
You:     
6.08
Average:     
6.05
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
Personal Functionings

In this online questionnaire personal functionings are assessed with five questions – two evaluating your subjective opinion on your health and how activity you are, the other three testing you for feelings of autonomy, purpose and worth.

You are healthy and overall feel autonomous, purposeful and able to demonstrate your abilities to others.
You:     
6.21
Average:     
6.13
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
Social Feelings

In this online questionnaire social feelings are assessed with four questions – three assessing your opinion of your community, whilst the last looks at personal relationships.

You have a strong sense of trust and belonging in your community and a happy personal life.
You:     
6.33
Average:     
5.68
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]
Social Functionings

In this online questionnaire social functionings are assessed with four questions – two assessing your job / studies, one your free time, and one your community participation. If you did not respond to the work / study questions, your score is judged purely on the other two aspects.

Your job / course is not really allowing you to function socially in the way that you wish. Either it is very dull and unrewarding, or it is very stressful, leaving you little time to do the things you enjoy - or a bit of both! Are they any ways you could make it a little better for you? Alternatively, one way to relieve the boredom of work, can be to find other focuses of interest. Many take up voluntary work to offer them an alternative purpose.
You:     
5.72
Average:     
5.56
[Average is of all online responses to this survey - not the average for your country]