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?”
Multimedia
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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