Tweet
"SUFFERING" IN BULGARIA AND ARMENIA HIGHEST WORLDWIDE
Gallup.com
Dec 4 2013
At least a quarter considered suffering in 20 out of 143 countries
in 2012
by Jan Sonnenschein
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- For the third year in a row, Bulgaria in 2012 once
again had the negative distinction of leading the global suffering
list, with 39% of Bulgarians rating their lives poorly enough to be
considered "suffering." However, this time, Bulgaria is not alone
at the top. Thirty-seven percent of Armenians were suffering, and
Cambodians, Haitians, Hungarians, Malagasy, Macedonians, and Iranians
followed closely behind.
Gallup classifies respondents as "thriving," "struggling," or
"suffering" according to how they rate their current and future lives
on a ladder scale with steps numbered from zero to 10 based on the
Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. Gallup considers people to be
suffering if they rate their current lives a 4 or lower and their lives
in five years a 4 or lower. The respondents do not label themselves
as suffering.
In 20 out of 143 countries and areas surveyed in 2012, at least a
quarter of the adult population rated their lives poorly enough to
be considered suffering. Those countries span most world regions,
including six places in crisis-hit Europe. Worldwide, one in seven
adults was suffering in 2012. South Asia led the world in suffering
at 24%, followed by 21% in the Balkans and the Middle East and North
Africa regions.
Low Levels of Suffering Mostly Seen in Wealthier Countries
Suffering was 2% or less in 17 countries and areas -- most of them
wealthier and more developed countries. Some developing countries also
made this list: Thailand, Venezuela, Nigeria, the Somaliland region,
and Libya. Gallup trend data show suffering in the first four countries
and areas has been consistently low since Gallup started surveying
in these places. The 2012 study in Libya is the only nationally
representative study Gallup conducted so far in this country.
Suffering in Venezuela has always been in the single digits, yet in
2012, suffering was exceptionally low. With fieldwork being conducted
in the run-up to the presidential elections in October 2012, the
government's spending spree ahead of the elections might at least
partially explain the drop in suffering from 7% in 2011 to 2%.
In Libya, many people were probably still enthused by having rid the
country of Moammar Gadhafi, who ruled in a dictatorship lasting more
than four decades.
Four percent of Americans were suffering in 2012.
Implications
Across countries, measures of well-being are highly related to income,
education levels, and reported disease conditions. Individuals who are
thriving have fewer disease conditions, fewer sick days, and higher
incomes; are more highly educated; and have better work environments.
Residents in countries with higher percentages of thriving respondents
also report that the area they live in is a good place to live for
people of different ethnicities, races, and cultures.
Compared with thriving respondents, struggling respondents are much
more likely to worry about money on a daily basis, and suffering
respondents are less likely to have necessities such as food and
shelter.
Leaders in Bulgaria started to face the likely consequences of high
levels of suffering among the country's residents in 2013. Protests
that spread throughout the country resulted in the resignation of the
center-right government of Boyko Borisov. However, in the poorest state
in the European Union, conflict over poverty and corruption continues
despite the early elections that happened in May of this year.
For complete data sets or custom research from the more than 150
countries Gallup continually surveys, please contact us.
Survey Methods
Results are based on telephone and face-to-face interviews with
approximately 1,000 adults, aged 15 and older, per country. For
results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say
with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error ranged
from a low of ±1.7 percentage points to ±5.6 percentage points. The
margin of error reflects the influence of data weighting. In addition
to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in
conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of
public opinion polls.
For more complete methodology and specific survey dates, please review
Gallup's Country Data Set details.
See tables at
http://www.gallup.com/poll/166076/suffering-bulgaria-armenia-highest-worldwide.aspx
Gallup.com
Dec 4 2013
At least a quarter considered suffering in 20 out of 143 countries
in 2012
by Jan Sonnenschein
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- For the third year in a row, Bulgaria in 2012 once
again had the negative distinction of leading the global suffering
list, with 39% of Bulgarians rating their lives poorly enough to be
considered "suffering." However, this time, Bulgaria is not alone
at the top. Thirty-seven percent of Armenians were suffering, and
Cambodians, Haitians, Hungarians, Malagasy, Macedonians, and Iranians
followed closely behind.
Gallup classifies respondents as "thriving," "struggling," or
"suffering" according to how they rate their current and future lives
on a ladder scale with steps numbered from zero to 10 based on the
Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale. Gallup considers people to be
suffering if they rate their current lives a 4 or lower and their lives
in five years a 4 or lower. The respondents do not label themselves
as suffering.
In 20 out of 143 countries and areas surveyed in 2012, at least a
quarter of the adult population rated their lives poorly enough to
be considered suffering. Those countries span most world regions,
including six places in crisis-hit Europe. Worldwide, one in seven
adults was suffering in 2012. South Asia led the world in suffering
at 24%, followed by 21% in the Balkans and the Middle East and North
Africa regions.
Low Levels of Suffering Mostly Seen in Wealthier Countries
Suffering was 2% or less in 17 countries and areas -- most of them
wealthier and more developed countries. Some developing countries also
made this list: Thailand, Venezuela, Nigeria, the Somaliland region,
and Libya. Gallup trend data show suffering in the first four countries
and areas has been consistently low since Gallup started surveying
in these places. The 2012 study in Libya is the only nationally
representative study Gallup conducted so far in this country.
Suffering in Venezuela has always been in the single digits, yet in
2012, suffering was exceptionally low. With fieldwork being conducted
in the run-up to the presidential elections in October 2012, the
government's spending spree ahead of the elections might at least
partially explain the drop in suffering from 7% in 2011 to 2%.
In Libya, many people were probably still enthused by having rid the
country of Moammar Gadhafi, who ruled in a dictatorship lasting more
than four decades.
Four percent of Americans were suffering in 2012.
Implications
Across countries, measures of well-being are highly related to income,
education levels, and reported disease conditions. Individuals who are
thriving have fewer disease conditions, fewer sick days, and higher
incomes; are more highly educated; and have better work environments.
Residents in countries with higher percentages of thriving respondents
also report that the area they live in is a good place to live for
people of different ethnicities, races, and cultures.
Compared with thriving respondents, struggling respondents are much
more likely to worry about money on a daily basis, and suffering
respondents are less likely to have necessities such as food and
shelter.
Leaders in Bulgaria started to face the likely consequences of high
levels of suffering among the country's residents in 2013. Protests
that spread throughout the country resulted in the resignation of the
center-right government of Boyko Borisov. However, in the poorest state
in the European Union, conflict over poverty and corruption continues
despite the early elections that happened in May of this year.
For complete data sets or custom research from the more than 150
countries Gallup continually surveys, please contact us.
Survey Methods
Results are based on telephone and face-to-face interviews with
approximately 1,000 adults, aged 15 and older, per country. For
results based on the total sample of national adults, one can say
with 95% confidence that the maximum margin of sampling error ranged
from a low of ±1.7 percentage points to ±5.6 percentage points. The
margin of error reflects the influence of data weighting. In addition
to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in
conducting surveys can introduce error or bias into the findings of
public opinion polls.
For more complete methodology and specific survey dates, please review
Gallup's Country Data Set details.
See tables at
http://www.gallup.com/poll/166076/suffering-bulgaria-armenia-highest-worldwide.aspx