It is very interesting to observe that despite the distress experienced by many people during the pandemic, the happiness index has not budged since we last measured it in 2019. The same indicator, measured at an interval of more than a year and a half, before and during the pandemic, reveals that people are not more unhappy overall in 2021 than they were before the COVID-19 crisis, despite the stress they have endured. Admittedly, the worst is probably behind us.
Happiness in the time of covid-19
Canada, 2021
This data confirms our analysis of our loss of control index: that the sense of losing control over one’s life hasn’t risen all that much during the pandemic. People have pulled themselves together in the face of this pandemic. They have shown resilience. They have adapted. They didn’t collapse when confronted by this unique crisis.
Consequently, a majority of Canadians still feel happy, in the same proportion as before the pandemic. They have found a way to give meaning to their lives and to their problems during this exceptional time.
Interestingly, the happiest people express a strong need for personal expression. They greatly value authenticity and creativity and find opportunities in their daily lives to express them.
They are also very engaged with others and with society at large. They seem to give as much as they get.
Money makes people happier. The higher their income, the happier they are, and the reverse is also true. However, this correlation obtains up to an annual household income of $100,000. At higher incomes, happiness doesn’t keep going up.
The happiest of all the age groups are people 65 and over, who may have developed a more Zen approach to life.
