Despite another year of war on several fronts, prolonged uncertainty and national trauma, Israel once again ranked eighth in the World Happiness Report published on Thursday, for the second year in a row.

According to the annual survey, Finland came in first for the ninth year in a row, while the United States was at 23rd. The United Kingdom is in 29th place and France, 35th.

“Israel’s ranking has consistently gone up since 2021,” Anat Fanti, a happiness policy researcher at the Program in Science, Technology and Society at Bar-Ilan University, told The Times of Israel. “It doesn’t surprise me because Israelis have a sense of meaning and purpose, which contributes to their overall satisfaction with life.”

The results were released as many Israelis were hunkering down in bomb shelters, with schools closed, limited flights in and out of the country and other daily restrictions amid Iranian and Hezbollah missile and rocket attacks that have repeatedly been aimed at Israel since war broke out on February 28.

Fanti said that the ranking represents the overall evaluation people have about their life, which paints a larger picture, rather than their emotions — whether negative or positive — which “come and go each day.”

Perhaps the most remarkable finding in this year’s report concerns the younger generation.

Israelis under the age of 25 were found to be the happiest demographic within Israeli society, ranking third globally. This stands in sharp contrast to other Western nations, she said.

In the US, for instance, the happiness of young people has plummeted to 60th place. Other Israeli age groups also performed strongly, ranking approximately 11th overall.

“Young Israeli people are much more grounded compared to their age group in other countries,” Fanti said. “They go to the military service while their peer group goes to college, thinking about where they will get booze under 21. They make decisions between 18 and 21 that are far beyond their years. Also, the level of social support and genuine friendships in Israel are part of the........

© The Times of Israel