How Happy Are You? In a Boston Suburb, It’s a Census Question
Rick Friedman for The New York Times
Residents of Somerville, Mass., like Jamie Thatcher and
Maddie Carlson, are being asked to rate their happiness
on a 1-to-10 scale.
Maddie Carlson, are being asked to rate their happiness
on a 1-to-10 scale.
By JOHN TIERNEY, New York Times
Published: April 30, 2011
SOMERVILLE, Mass. — When they filled out the city’s census forms this spring, the people of Somerville got a new question. On a scale of 1 to 10, they were asked, “How happy do you feel right now?”
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Rick Friedman for The New York Times
Surveys are asking residents like Lee Simonds about their city, as well as questions that seem plucked from a personality test.
Officials here want this Boston suburb to become the first city in the United States to systematically track people’s happiness. Like leaders in Britain, France and a few other places, they want to move beyond the traditional measures of success — economic growth — to promote policies that produce more than just material well-being. More ...
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