The nation will use an Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report on happiness as a guideline when conducting its own happiness survey, which is set to be released next year, a government statistics official said yesterday.
Leona Wu, social indicators section chief at the Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics (DGBAS), told reporters that the statistics office would refer to the OECD report and collect local data to assess the happiness levels of Taiwanese.
Wu’s remarks came a day after a statement by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) that the government would work to prepare a happiness index in the coming year.
The OECD, an international organization that helps governments tackle the economic, social and governance challenges of a globalized economy, issued its Your Better Life Index report last year to evaluate material living conditions and quality of life in its member states.
The report gauged 20 indices in the areas of housing, income, jobs, community, education, environment, health, governance, life satisfaction, safety and work-life balance.
“The happiness index report will be released next year,” Wu said, adding that at the moment, the DGBAS could not predict exactly when the report would be published.
Ma’s remarks echoed a goal of the new the Cabinet outlined by Premier Sean Chen (陳冲).
When assuming the premiership yesterday, Chen said his team would strive to make Taiwanese wealthy, both materially and mentally.
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