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Commenting on the UK’s first official wellbeing report, Mark Littlewood, Director General at the Institute of Economic Affairs, said:
“We have enough trouble with governments trying to target GDP without them attempting to target aggregate wellbeing as well. The wellbeing report tells us little we did not already know.
“Happiness measures are short-term and shallow measures of people’s genuine wellbeing. Aside from being unnecessary, government intervention in this area is a dangerous intrusion into people’s personal lives. We should allow people’s preferences for wellbeing to be revealed by their own actions rather than through surveys.”
Notes to editors:
To arrange an interview with an IEA spokesperson, please contact Stephanie Lis, Director of Communications: 020 7799 8909, slis@iea.org.uk
The mission of the Institute of Economic Affairs is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems. The IEA is a registered educational charity and independent of all political parties.
“We have enough trouble with governments trying to target GDP without them attempting to target aggregate wellbeing as well. The wellbeing report tells us little we did not already know.
“Happiness measures are short-term and shallow measures of people’s genuine wellbeing. Aside from being unnecessary, government intervention in this area is a dangerous intrusion into people’s personal lives. We should allow people’s preferences for wellbeing to be revealed by their own actions rather than through surveys.”
Notes to editors:
To arrange an interview with an IEA spokesperson, please contact Stephanie Lis, Director of Communications: 020 7799 8909, slis@iea.org.uk
The mission of the Institute of Economic Affairs is to improve understanding of the fundamental institutions of a free society by analysing and expounding the role of markets in solving economic and social problems. The IEA is a registered educational charity and independent of all political parties.
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