People in Taiwan enjoy a “moderate level” of happiness compared with their peers in nations in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), according to the national happiness index released by the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS) yesterday.
The national happiness index — compiled from a total of 24 indicators in 11 categories and based on the OECD’s Better Life Index — stood at 6.64 points this year, the DGBAS said.
Taiwan ranks 19th among the countries assessed in the two indexes.
“Taiwan’s level of happiness is in the middle,” DGBAS Minister Shih Su-mei (石素梅) told a press conference.
Australia is the OECD’s happiest nation with an index reading of 7.95 points, followed by Sweden and Canada, the report showed.
Among the Asian nations surveyed, Taiwan ranked the highest, ahead of Japan and South Korea, which were rated 27th and 28th respectively.
Among the 11 categories, Taiwan was ranked third for safety, which the DGBAS attributed to relatively few violent crimes, the report said.
In addition, Taiwan ranked highly in the categories related to living conditions, housing, and income and jobs, placing ninth, fourth and 10th respectively, the report said.
However, the nation’s environment ranking stayed at 35th, and DGBAS said that was a reflection of the impact of the large number of motorcycles and industrial activity.
Shih said the results showed Taiwan’s material living conditions are better than its quality of life.
Notably, the category of life satisfaction in Taiwan was ranked 25th, the DGBAS said, mentioning the results of a Gallup World Poll last year, when respondents in Taiwan gave themselves 6.1 points out of 10 points when measuring their living conditions.
The DGBAS said the risk of cultural bias remains when comparing subjective life satisfaction across different nations, with people in eastern Asian countries often avoiding extreme answers.
The report came after President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) instructed the DGBAS to prepare a national happiness index last year to gauge the nation’s living conditions.
The DGBAS said it would release the happiness index annually.
Super Typhoon Kong-rey is the largest cyclone to impact Taiwan in 27 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said today. Kong-rey’s radius of maximum wind (RMW) — the distance between the center of a cyclone and its band of strongest winds — has expanded to 320km, CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said. The last time a typhoon of comparable strength with an RMW larger than 300km made landfall in Taiwan was Typhoon Herb in 1996, he said. Herb made landfall between Keelung and Suao (蘇澳) in Yilan County with an RMW of 350km, Chang said. The weather station in Alishan (阿里山) recorded 1.09m of
STORM’S PATH: Kong-Rey could be the first typhoon to make landfall in Taiwan in November since Gilda in 1967. Taitung-Green Island ferry services have been halted Tropical Storm Kong-rey is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon early today and could make landfall in Taitung County between late Thursday and early Friday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2pm yesterday, Kong-Rey was 1,030km east-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), the nation’s southernmost point, and was moving west at 7kph. The tropical storm was packing maximum sustained winds of 101kph, with gusts of up to 126 kph, CWA data showed. After landing in Taitung, the eye of the storm is forecast to move into the Taiwan Strait through central Taiwan on Friday morning, the agency said. With the storm moving
NO WORK, CLASS: President William Lai urged people in the eastern, southern and northern parts of the country to be on alert, with Typhoon Kong-rey approaching Typhoon Kong-rey is expected to make landfall on Taiwan’s east coast today, with work and classes canceled nationwide. Packing gusts of nearly 300kph, the storm yesterday intensified into a typhoon and was expected to gain even more strength before hitting Taitung County, the US Navy’s Joint Typhoon Warning Center said. The storm is forecast to cross Taiwan’s south, enter the Taiwan Strait and head toward China, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The CWA labeled the storm a “strong typhoon,” the most powerful on its scale. Up to 1.2m of rainfall was expected in mountainous areas of eastern Taiwan and destructive winds are likely
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday at 5:30pm issued a sea warning for Typhoon Kong-rey as the storm drew closer to the east coast. As of 8pm yesterday, the storm was 670km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻) and traveling northwest at 12kph to 16kph. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 162kph and gusts of up to 198kph, the CWA said. A land warning might be issued this morning for the storm, which is expected to have the strongest impact on Taiwan from tonight to early Friday morning, the agency said. Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) and Green Island (綠島) canceled classes and work
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