How happy are Californians?

About Post-scarcity notes: As the staff of The Public Interest Network advocate for a cleaner, greener, healthier world, from time to time we’ll share observations on the larger challenge facing our network and our society: How do we shift the dominant paradigm — the very way in which we see and make sense of the world — from disposable to sustainable, from “never enough” to “enough,” from “making a living” to “living.” The views expressed in this space relate to our work, but do not necessarily represent the position of the network or its organizations.

My local newspaper had an article recently about California’s first-ever official state happiness report. This seems great! In a post-paradigm-shift world, we’d measure our wellbeing by happiness or other qualitative metrics, not gross domestic product.

The new California report isn’t calling for a paradigm change, but I’m heartened by the fact that it’s cracking open the door to the idea that current metrics in California might not be measuring all the right things.

The report is full of interesting findings and observations, and I thought I’d share a few things that popped out at me.

1. Happiness as a goal

In the introduction to the report, the Select Committee on Happiness and Public Policy Outcomes summarizes their motivation: “the California State Assembly has not considered how California can improve the happiness of its people. Happiness is seen as a byproduct of the work we do to build housing, improve education, and boost wages, among other things. Legislators tend to assume that safe housing, higher incomes, and improved educational opportunities will inevitably lead to happiness. But is that all that leads to happiness? Or do we have a responsibility to do more, to examine happiness more closely as an outright goal?”

2. Happier than most

The second-happiest county in California would rank 7th in the world if it were a nation. (The happiest county had only 12 respondents and so the report dismissed the results as an outlier.) The least happy county would rank 22nd, between the Czech Republic and Malta. That’s not too shabby. The U.S. overall was ranked the 23rd happiest country in the world.

3. Less happy than we used to be

Californians are less happy overall now than they were 25 years ago. The share of “very happy” people fell from 28% to 16% from 1998 to 2023. The share of “pretty happy” people didn’t change. The share of “not too happy” people doubled from 13% to 26%. (I don’t think the “very happy” people became “not too happy.” I’m guessing some “very happy” people became “pretty happy,” and some “pretty happy” people became “not too happy.”)

Credit: California State Assembly Select Committee on Happiness and Public Policy Outcomes

4. Can money buy happiness?

The report discusses the academic research into the question of whether happiness is linked to income and mentions a 2023 study that found that happiness typically increases with income, except for very unhappy people whose happiness plateaus at a certain income level. But income clearly isn’t the only important factor in determining happiness because California is wealthier now than it was in 1998 and yet we’re less happy.

5. Not having money doesn’t help

That said, poorer and less educated Californians are less happy on average than people who are wealthier and better educated. The report didn’t mention how that has changed over time.

6. Can’t get no job satisfaction

Public opinion polls that gauge happiness measure multiple things that affect quality of life, including jobs, leisure, housing and personal finance. The contributing factor that has changed the most has been job satisfaction. 52% of people in 1998 were very satisfied with their job, and now it’s just 31%. The report didn’t offer any explanation for this change, and I have lots of questions: are more people working in lower status jobs and that’s why they’re unhappy? Or do they feel their jobs have less purpose and meaning? Is some of this decline in satisfaction related to the drop in the workforce participation rate?

7. Young people are less happy now

Another big change is that young people are less happy now than in the past. If there were a country populated entirely with American youth (ages 15-24), they’d rank 62nd overall for happiness. In California, 10% of 18-34 year olds were “not too happy.” In 2023, that rose to 30%. I find these numbers troubling: it’s bad for young people now, and it might not bode well for their future happiness, which historically has been high for young people, declines for middle aged people, and then rebounds for older people.

Credit: California State Assembly Select Committee on Happiness and Public Policy Outcomes

8. Happier people make better citizens

The report makes the case that individual happiness matters for society, because happier people are more likely to volunteer, vote, join organizations and donate blood. They’re more productive at work and can solve more complex problems. They trust more. They live longer.

9. A walk in the park might help

The report recommends that policymakers consider the impact of all proposed policies on happiness. The report also provides examples of California cities that have taken steps to try to improve happiness, such as Fremont’s effort to ensure all its residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park.