Uruguay is the “happiest” country in Latin America and ranks 18th worldwide, according to the World Values Study - Embassy of Uruguay in India

After ten years, Uruguay participated again in the World Values Study during 2022. This is a global public opinion investigation that began at the University of Michigan in the 1970s and arrived in the country in 1996. In this recent instance, the measurement in Uruguay was carried out by Consulting Teams and its application included residents over 18 years of age from homes throughout the national territory, except for the dispersed population. The sample size is 1,000 cases.

In the evaluation of “subjective well-being,” the report reaffirmed the growth in the happiness levels of the Uruguayan population, which has been maintained in recent decades. Specifically, in 2022, 43% of Uruguayans said they were “very happy.” Those who thought this were more than double the number who said the same in 1996, when only 21% expressed themselves this way. This progressive increase in happiness is sustained despite the geographic location of the respondents, their sex, their age or their social stratum.

If the results are broken down by sex, 41% of men say they are “very happy”; On the other hand, 45% of women say the same. If observed by location, 44% of those surveyed in Montevideo say they are very happy, a number that decreases in the interior to 43%. By age, the highest levels of happiness are between 30 and 49 years old: 47% say they are “very happy.” However, people between 50 and 64 are the ones who show the least happiness: 40%. Finally, the variations by socioeconomic level (SES) are minimal, since the perception of happiness between those with low and high SES is equal at 46%. For their part, those with a medium SES reach 41%.

In the world, Uruguay ranks 18th in happiness and is above the Latin American average (87%) and the world average (85%). The country reaches 91% among those who say they are “very happy” and “quite happy”, while the sum of these two opinions reaches 89% in Brazil, 86% in Argentina and 82% in Chile. The happiest countries in the world recorded in the study during 2022 were Vietnam (97%), Kyrgyzstan (96%), Iceland (95%), Andorra (95%) and Tajikistan (94%). Meanwhile, the least happy were Greece (71%), Iran (70%), Iraq (69%), Bulgaria (60%) and Zimbabwe (52%).

“Life satisfaction” also increased. During 2022, one in three Uruguayans (33%) stated that they were “completely satisfied” with their life; In 2011, 19% of those surveyed had said this. In this indicator, Uruguay occupies sixth place in the world ranking, above the countries that are part of the study in the region. The countries with the highest level of satisfaction are Iceland (86%), Norway (86%), Vietnam (86%), Finland (85%) and Switzerland (85%). Uruguay, in its case, reaches 84%. Beyond the data, the report did not forget to mention that, simultaneously, the country shows “another side” in which there is an “increase in mental health problems” and a “high suicide rate.”

Ideology, politics, democracy and institutions

In another section of the work, the “ideological self-identification” of Uruguayans was surveyed, which showed that 18% claimed to be left-wing and 16% said they were right-wing. On the ideological spectrum, 14% expressed being somewhat closer to the right and 15%, closer to the left. 28% identified with the center.

Trust in institutions was also evaluated. The Police took first place: people who expressed feeling “a lot” or “some” of confidence were 69% of the sample. Along these lines, the Judiciary reached 59%, the government 54%, the Armed Forces 53%, Parliament 43% and the church 38%. The last places in trust were for the press, which reached 31%, unions and political parties which reached 30% and, finally, television with 29%.

On the other hand, “opinion on types of political systems” was also taken into consideration. In that case, having a “democratic political system” was the most chosen opinion, with 87%. Second place went to the option of “having experts” make decisions, with 60%. With less support were the options of having a “strong political leader” (44%), “a military government” (18%) and “a system governed by religious law” (12%).

The report referred, in this case, to the support received by the “experts”, which were taken as an option only by 39% in 2011. Regarding its significant growth, the question arose as to whether this could reach have some connection with the work of the Honorary Scientific Advisory Group during the pandemic. The reference to a “military government”, beyond being a minority in absolute terms, doubled compared to 2011, where it only reached 8% approval. “Perhaps the progressive temporal distance from the last military dictatorship explains, in part, the decrease in rejection of the idea of a military government,” the report purposely highlighted.

In relation to more general aspects, the choice of interests of the respondents showed that 99% show interest in their family. Second place is occupied by work, an aspect of interest for 94% of the sample, followed by “free time”, with 90%. A little further away are “friends” with 81%, “politics” with 40% and “religion”, which interests only 33%.

Finally, the means most used to obtain “daily” information are mainly cell phones (65%) and the Internet (62%). Below are television (55%), social networks (55%), communication with friends and colleagues (46%), radio (31%), email (19%) and, finally, newspapers or daily, with 13%.