Does Education Lead to Happiness?

DOES EDUCATION LEAD TO HAPPINESS? A look at the 25 most thriving and least thriving countries, correlated with the average years of education in that respective country. 2 23 22 5 17 b 16 14 11 15 24 19 25 18 22 18 15 21 25 20 12 13 THE WORLD 23 10 7 THRIVING calculations are based on the Cantril Scale, which uses a simple survey question to rate one's life satisfaction on a scale of one to ten. 25 MOST THRIVING COUNTRIES 25 LEAST THRIVING COUNTRIES 1 Denmark 11 Switzerland 21 Venezuela Togo 11 Benin 21 Mongolia 2 Finland 12 Panama 22 Ireland Burundi 12 Congo 22 Nepal 3 Norway 13 Brazil 23 Iceland Comoros 13 Chad 23 Madagascar 4 Sweden 14 United States 24 Kuwait Niger 14 Liberia 24 Dijibouti 5 Netherlands 15 Austria 25 Puerto Rico Rwanda 15 Mali 25 Sudan 6 Costa Rica 16 Belgium 16 Uganda Cambodia *Democratic Republic Of 7 New Zealand 17 U.K. 7 Sierra Leone 17 Bulgaria 8 Canada 18 Mexico Burkina Faso 18 Senegal 9 Israel 19 Turkmenistan 9 Ivory Coast 19 Tanzania 10 Australia 20 U.A.E 10 Haiti 20 Laos THRIVING BY AVERAGE YEARS OF SCHOOLING Most Thriving Country Least Thriving Country 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 Average Years of Schooling A CLOSER LO0K: AMERICA It is no surprise that increased education most often leads to greater career opportunity, and thus brings higher incomes. Next comes the age-old question of whether or not this money can buy happiness. Recent studies show that in America there is a very strong correlation between life satisfaction and income, making it clear that all those painful years in school do pay off. EDUCATION AND ANNUAL INCOME Education Level 10K 20K 30K 40K 50K 60K 70K 80K 90K 100k High School Completion $27,960 Some College, No Degree $31,950 Associate's Degree $36,400 Bachelor's Degree $48,100 Master's Degree $58,520 Professional Degree $87,780 Doctoral Degree $80,780 ANNUAL INCOME AND LIFE SATISFACTION LESS THAN $24,000 $24,000 - $48,000 $48,000 - $90,000 $90,000 + 48.8 41.4 64.1 50 50 27.5 25 75 25 75 25 75 100 100 100 100 LSSEN Sources: World Gallup Poll, 2009 | Digest of Educational Statistics, 2009| Copyright © 2010 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index®. All rights reserved. % Thriving DOES EDUCATION LEAD TO HAPPINESS? A look at the 25 most thriving and least thriving countries, correlated with the average years of education in that respective country. 2 23 22 5 17 b 16 14 11 15 24 19 25 18 22 18 15 21 25 20 12 13 THE WORLD 23 10 7 THRIVING calculations are based on the Cantril Scale, which uses a simple survey question to rate one's life satisfaction on a scale of one to ten. 25 MOST THRIVING COUNTRIES 25 LEAST THRIVING COUNTRIES 1 Denmark 11 Switzerland 21 Venezuela Togo 11 Benin 21 Mongolia 2 Finland 12 Panama 22 Ireland Burundi 12 Congo 22 Nepal 3 Norway 13 Brazil 23 Iceland Comoros 13 Chad 23 Madagascar 4 Sweden 14 United States 24 Kuwait Niger 14 Liberia 24 Dijibouti 5 Netherlands 15 Austria 25 Puerto Rico Rwanda 15 Mali 25 Sudan 6 Costa Rica 16 Belgium 16 Uganda Cambodia *Democratic Republic Of 7 New Zealand 17 U.K. 7 Sierra Leone 17 Bulgaria 8 Canada 18 Mexico Burkina Faso 18 Senegal 9 Israel 19 Turkmenistan 9 Ivory Coast 19 Tanzania 10 Australia 20 U.A.E 10 Haiti 20 Laos THRIVING BY AVERAGE YEARS OF SCHOOLING Most Thriving Country Least Thriving Country 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 Average Years of Schooling A CLOSER LO0K: AMERICA It is no surprise that increased education most often leads to greater career opportunity, and thus brings higher incomes. Next comes the age-old question of whether or not this money can buy happiness. Recent studies show that in America there is a very strong correlation between life satisfaction and income, making it clear that all those painful years in school do pay off. EDUCATION AND ANNUAL INCOME Education Level 10K 20K 30K 40K 50K 60K 70K 80K 90K 100k High School Completion $27,960 Some College, No Degree $31,950 Associate's Degree $36,400 Bachelor's Degree $48,100 Master's Degree $58,520 Professional Degree $87,780 Doctoral Degree $80,780 ANNUAL INCOME AND LIFE SATISFACTION LESS THAN $24,000 $24,000 - $48,000 $48,000 - $90,000 $90,000 + 48.8 41.4 64.1 50 50 27.5 25 75 25 75 25 75 100 100 100 100 LSSEN Sources: World Gallup Poll, 2009 | Digest of Educational Statistics, 2009| Copyright © 2010 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index®. All rights reserved. % Thriving DOES EDUCATION LEAD TO HAPPINESS? A look at the 25 most thriving and least thriving countries, correlated with the average years of education in that respective country. 2 23 22 5 17 b 16 14 11 15 24 19 25 18 22 18 15 21 25 20 12 13 THE WORLD 23 10 7 THRIVING calculations are based on the Cantril Scale, which uses a simple survey question to rate one's life satisfaction on a scale of one to ten. 25 MOST THRIVING COUNTRIES 25 LEAST THRIVING COUNTRIES 1 Denmark 11 Switzerland 21 Venezuela Togo 11 Benin 21 Mongolia 2 Finland 12 Panama 22 Ireland Burundi 12 Congo 22 Nepal 3 Norway 13 Brazil 23 Iceland Comoros 13 Chad 23 Madagascar 4 Sweden 14 United States 24 Kuwait Niger 14 Liberia 24 Dijibouti 5 Netherlands 15 Austria 25 Puerto Rico Rwanda 15 Mali 25 Sudan 6 Costa Rica 16 Belgium 16 Uganda Cambodia *Democratic Republic Of 7 New Zealand 17 U.K. 7 Sierra Leone 17 Bulgaria 8 Canada 18 Mexico Burkina Faso 18 Senegal 9 Israel 19 Turkmenistan 9 Ivory Coast 19 Tanzania 10 Australia 20 U.A.E 10 Haiti 20 Laos THRIVING BY AVERAGE YEARS OF SCHOOLING Most Thriving Country Least Thriving Country 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 Average Years of Schooling A CLOSER LO0K: AMERICA It is no surprise that increased education most often leads to greater career opportunity, and thus brings higher incomes. Next comes the age-old question of whether or not this money can buy happiness. Recent studies show that in America there is a very strong correlation between life satisfaction and income, making it clear that all those painful years in school do pay off. EDUCATION AND ANNUAL INCOME Education Level 10K 20K 30K 40K 50K 60K 70K 80K 90K 100k High School Completion $27,960 Some College, No Degree $31,950 Associate's Degree $36,400 Bachelor's Degree $48,100 Master's Degree $58,520 Professional Degree $87,780 Doctoral Degree $80,780 ANNUAL INCOME AND LIFE SATISFACTION LESS THAN $24,000 $24,000 - $48,000 $48,000 - $90,000 $90,000 + 48.8 41.4 64.1 50 50 27.5 25 75 25 75 25 75 100 100 100 100 LSSEN Sources: World Gallup Poll, 2009 | Digest of Educational Statistics, 2009| Copyright © 2010 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index®. All rights reserved. % Thriving DOES EDUCATION LEAD TO HAPPINESS? A look at the 25 most thriving and least thriving countries, correlated with the average years of education in that respective country. 2 23 22 5 17 b 16 14 11 15 24 19 25 18 22 18 15 21 25 20 12 13 THE WORLD 23 10 7 THRIVING calculations are based on the Cantril Scale, which uses a simple survey question to rate one's life satisfaction on a scale of one to ten. 25 MOST THRIVING COUNTRIES 25 LEAST THRIVING COUNTRIES 1 Denmark 11 Switzerland 21 Venezuela Togo 11 Benin 21 Mongolia 2 Finland 12 Panama 22 Ireland Burundi 12 Congo 22 Nepal 3 Norway 13 Brazil 23 Iceland Comoros 13 Chad 23 Madagascar 4 Sweden 14 United States 24 Kuwait Niger 14 Liberia 24 Dijibouti 5 Netherlands 15 Austria 25 Puerto Rico Rwanda 15 Mali 25 Sudan 6 Costa Rica 16 Belgium 16 Uganda Cambodia *Democratic Republic Of 7 New Zealand 17 U.K. 7 Sierra Leone 17 Bulgaria 8 Canada 18 Mexico Burkina Faso 18 Senegal 9 Israel 19 Turkmenistan 9 Ivory Coast 19 Tanzania 10 Australia 20 U.A.E 10 Haiti 20 Laos THRIVING BY AVERAGE YEARS OF SCHOOLING Most Thriving Country Least Thriving Country 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 Average Years of Schooling A CLOSER LO0K: AMERICA It is no surprise that increased education most often leads to greater career opportunity, and thus brings higher incomes. Next comes the age-old question of whether or not this money can buy happiness. Recent studies show that in America there is a very strong correlation between life satisfaction and income, making it clear that all those painful years in school do pay off. EDUCATION AND ANNUAL INCOME Education Level 10K 20K 30K 40K 50K 60K 70K 80K 90K 100k High School Completion $27,960 Some College, No Degree $31,950 Associate's Degree $36,400 Bachelor's Degree $48,100 Master's Degree $58,520 Professional Degree $87,780 Doctoral Degree $80,780 ANNUAL INCOME AND LIFE SATISFACTION LESS THAN $24,000 $24,000 - $48,000 $48,000 - $90,000 $90,000 + 48.8 41.4 64.1 50 50 27.5 25 75 25 75 25 75 100 100 100 100 LSSEN Sources: World Gallup Poll, 2009 | Digest of Educational Statistics, 2009| Copyright © 2010 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index®. All rights reserved. % Thriving DOES EDUCATION LEAD TO HAPPINESS? A look at the 25 most thriving and least thriving countries, correlated with the average years of education in that respective country. 2 23 22 5 17 b 16 14 11 15 24 19 25 18 22 18 15 21 25 20 12 13 THE WORLD 23 10 7 THRIVING calculations are based on the Cantril Scale, which uses a simple survey question to rate one's life satisfaction on a scale of one to ten. 25 MOST THRIVING COUNTRIES 25 LEAST THRIVING COUNTRIES 1 Denmark 11 Switzerland 21 Venezuela Togo 11 Benin 21 Mongolia 2 Finland 12 Panama 22 Ireland Burundi 12 Congo 22 Nepal 3 Norway 13 Brazil 23 Iceland Comoros 13 Chad 23 Madagascar 4 Sweden 14 United States 24 Kuwait Niger 14 Liberia 24 Dijibouti 5 Netherlands 15 Austria 25 Puerto Rico Rwanda 15 Mali 25 Sudan 6 Costa Rica 16 Belgium 16 Uganda Cambodia *Democratic Republic Of 7 New Zealand 17 U.K. 7 Sierra Leone 17 Bulgaria 8 Canada 18 Mexico Burkina Faso 18 Senegal 9 Israel 19 Turkmenistan 9 Ivory Coast 19 Tanzania 10 Australia 20 U.A.E 10 Haiti 20 Laos THRIVING BY AVERAGE YEARS OF SCHOOLING Most Thriving Country Least Thriving Country 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 1 7 9 10 11 12 13 14 Average Years of Schooling A CLOSER LO0K: AMERICA It is no surprise that increased education most often leads to greater career opportunity, and thus brings higher incomes. Next comes the age-old question of whether or not this money can buy happiness. Recent studies show that in America there is a very strong correlation between life satisfaction and income, making it clear that all those painful years in school do pay off. EDUCATION AND ANNUAL INCOME Education Level 10K 20K 30K 40K 50K 60K 70K 80K 90K 100k High School Completion $27,960 Some College, No Degree $31,950 Associate's Degree $36,400 Bachelor's Degree $48,100 Master's Degree $58,520 Professional Degree $87,780 Doctoral Degree $80,780 ANNUAL INCOME AND LIFE SATISFACTION LESS THAN $24,000 $24,000 - $48,000 $48,000 - $90,000 $90,000 + 48.8 41.4 64.1 50 50 27.5 25 75 25 75 25 75 100 100 100 100 LSSEN Sources: World Gallup Poll, 2009 | Digest of Educational Statistics, 2009| Copyright © 2010 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index®. All rights reserved. % Thriving