Life is Beautiful, Or So It Seems.

Notwithstanding the problems facing them, Indians are a happy lot. In fact, 64% of them say the next generation will enjoy a better quality of life. Read more at, Most Indians happy, foresee better future.

According to Global Opinion Trends 2002-2007 , a survey conducted by the Pew Global Attitudes Project in 47 countries and involving 45,000 interviews has concluded that the world seems to be a happier place for people living in the developing world. Their incomes may be low and their lives tough, but the mood is upbeat . They are more satisfied with their personal lives, incomes and national conditions as compared to the developed world. And they are optimistic about the future as well.

LIFE’S BEAUTIFUL

77% Indians have no complaints about government, but crime and pollution are major worries People in developing world content with life and salaries, says survey Developed world neither happy about present nor optimistic about future.

In the end, the new Pew Global Attitudes survey suggests that in many parts of the developing world, happiness, especially satisfaction with income, seems to improve most in societies that experience rapid growth in per capita income. And the Pew data generally reaffirm findings from other public opinion surveys that frustration with inequality can outweigh the positive benefits of economic growth. Moreover, the data show that extreme poverty and unhappiness go hand-in-hand in much of Africa, as well as in other struggling societies.

Most important, the Pew data confirm the work of other researchers who find that the ingredients of happiness can help explain differences among poor countries. At the same time, the Pew survey underscores that income alone is not sufficient to explain why people in some societies are more satisfied with their lives than others.