THOMPSON: Latest quality of life index casts shade on North America | iNFOnews
(DON THOMPSON / iNFOnews.ca)
March 27, 2023 – 12:00 p.m
OPINION
If you thought your quality of life dropped a little in the last year, then you’re right. You may not have noticed, but the latest Social Progress Index (SPI) – an annual measure of the quality of life around the world – casts more shadow than light on life in North America in 2022.
Canada, Mexico and the United States all fell down the rankings, with Canada slipping from sixth to tenth place, the United States from 24th to 25th and Mexico from 64th to 68th. The index – the result of the work of Nobel laureates in economics – is managed by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
Founded in 1961, the OECD has 70 partners – members of the academic community, non-profit organizations, governments and businesses – from 45 cooperative member nations who promote democracy and a market economy. The index includes 169 countries with a population of more than 2.5 billion people.
This is the twelfth year of the SPI rankings… which is neither a sensitive measure of people’s happiness and fulfillment nor a measure of gross domestic product and the economy.
Rather, 60 factors such as nutrition, safety, environment, freedom, healthcare, inclusion, access to information and communication, and education are considered to quantify quality of life.
One might think that economic development drives progress on social issues… but that’s not necessarily the case. While economic prosperity can and does bring significant improvements in access to clean water, sanitation, literacy and basic education, it has little impact on personal security or inclusion.
The quality of life has improved globally over the course of 12 years… but progress has slowed in each of the last five years. In fact, the OECD said that 2023 could mark the first retreat…a kind of progress “recession”, mainly due to the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the risks of climate change, economic turmoil and political changes.
The nations in the top ten remained the same as last year…although Germany moved up from tenth to eighth place; Switzerland and Iceland swapped places, with the Swiss moving up to fourth and Iceland falling to fifth. Likewise, Finland switched with Denmark, falling to third place while the Danes rose to second. Norway stayed first.
Only four nations have fallen down the SPI rankings each year… the UK, Libya, Syria and Venezuela. The UK’s steady slide hints at its Brexit decision, which has impacted everything from education and healthcare to rights and tolerance.
Almost two-thirds – 111 nations – have experienced a steady decline in privacy rights over the 12 years of the ranking. Canada, the US and the UK are among the only G7 members to have lost ground.
Perhaps more than any other nation, the US has made more of less. Despite its wealth and power, the US has largely stagnated or lost ground in the SPI rankings for the past 12 years.
US rankings for nutrition and basic medicine, health and wellness, and access to basic knowledge barely make the top 100. Almost every so-called advanced country has cleaner air and water, better sanitation, and more reliable internet access than the US
Wealth inequality is dramatic in the US, with the three richest Americans having more wealth than the poorest 150 million Americans. And nowhere in the world does it match the United States for the number of guns owned by its citizens… with over 400 million guns and 331 million people… counting children.
Next year, the broader impact of the COVID-19 pandemic will impact the SPI rankings. The threat of authoritarian governments and the decline of democracy, if unchecked, are also likely to affect the quality of life around the world.
The best way to keep fascism and totalitarianism at bay is not to become part of the silent majority and let extremists control not only dialogue but the way we govern. The need to stay informed and exercise the right to vote has never been more important in any democratic country.
— Don Thompson, an American awaiting Canadian citizenship, lives in Vernon and Florida. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Don has worked as a journalist, speechwriter and CEO of an advertising and public relations firm. A passionate and compassionate man, he loves the written word as much as fine dinners paired with great wines.
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