The document summarizes findings from the World Happiness Report and Legatum Prosperity Index, which measure national happiness and prosperity. The Scandinavian countries consistently rank at the top due to factors like strong social support systems, healthcare, education, democracy, and environmental protection. The US ranks in the top 20 but lags in areas like work-life balance, income inequality, and political polarization. To improve its ranking, the US would need to address socioeconomic disparities and strengthen social safety nets, which may be challenging given its larger size and population diversity compared to Scandinavian nations.

1. A short article from March 2021 in Forbes: " The 20 Happiest...
A short article from March 2021 in Forbes: " The 20 Happiest Countries in the World,"
about the most recent findings of the World Happiness Index (note: this is a summary--you
can find the full report in a link in the
article):https://www.forbes.com/sites/laurabegleybloom/2021/03/19/the-20-happiest-
countries-in-the-world-in-2021/?sh=49eddc6070a0
The ranking scale of the 2021 Legatum Prosperity Index, which equates prosperity with a
country's overall happiness:https://www.prosperity.com/rankings
A featured news report from CNBC in January 2020, "Why Finland and Denmark Are
Happier Than The U.S.," which references the World Happiness Report (note: although this
a two year old report, the rankings are more or less the same since the Scandinavian
countries are consistently in the Top 10 if not Top 5):Why Finland And Denmark Are
Happier Than The U.S.
This July 27th, 2022 YouTube video from Impress World takes an in-depth look at the
world's 10 happiest countries: Why Are These Countries The Happiest To Live In?
Criteria of The Legatum Prosperity Index
Economic Quality (financial sector efficiency, foundations for growth, openness)
Business Environment (opportunities for entrepreneurship, labor market flexibility,
barriers to innovation)
Governance (democracy, levels of political participation, perceptions of corruption)
Education (access, quality)
Health (access, quality, levels of mortality)
Safety and Security
Personal Freedom (freedom to make life choices)
Social Capital (level of civic participation, strength of personal relationships, social support
networks)
Natural Environment (quality of natural environment, level of environmental pressures,
preservation efforts)
World Happiness Report basic criteria
GDP (Gross Domestic Product ) per capita
Social support
Health/life expectancy
Freedom to make life choices
Personal and societal generosity

2. Perceptions of governmental corruption
Political and civic participation
NOTE: On both scales, the Scandinavian countries are always at the top; the U.S. is ranked
on both in the top 20 (#14 in World Happiness Report for 2021 and #20 on the 2021
Legatum Prosperity Index)
Respond to these questions:
Based on the resources above, what seem to be the strengths of the countries at the top of
both indices? Provide examples.
According to the reports, what seem to be our country's strengths? What appear to be our
main weaknesses?
What would it take for the U.S. to improve its ranking on these scales? For example, what
unique challenges would the U.S. have in achieving a higher rank on the happiness scales,
considering how different our country is from the Scandinavian countries? Be specific.