New data from the World Happiness Report suggests that young people in English-speaking countries are among the unhappiest globally, while their counterparts in Latin-language European nations report higher levels of happiness. The report highlights a decline in well-being among under-40s in the UK, US, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and Canada.
The study points to a lack of optimism about the future and work as key factors. In mainland Europe, both young and old tend to believe that hard work leads to success and financial reward. However, in the Anglosphere, this belief has waned among younger generations, with only older age groups retaining such optimism.
Skyrocketing housing costs are identified as a major driver of unhappiness. Since 1995, house prices in the UK and US have risen by over 200 percent, compared to around 80 percent in continental Europe. Home ownership, once a hallmark of success, has become a distant dream for many young people in English-speaking countries.
John Burn-Murdoch of the Financial Times noted that the affordability crisis is particularly damaging in Anglo societies because home ownership is viewed as a key marker of success. He argued that rising insecurity and stress among under-40s cannot be dismissed as irrational catastrophising.
Office for National Statistics data further illustrates the trend: by age 24, half of young people in the UK still live with their parents, a significant shift from a decade ago when they typically moved out three years earlier. The average age of a first-time buyer in the UK is now 34, compared to 31 in France and 30 in Belgium.
