Most depressing for councils, satisfaction mostly depends on something they cannot change – the population: happiest places have most graduates, fewest children, least ethnic diversity, least population churn, most private housing. Badly run areas (like Surrey) that are posh places will always score higher satisfaction than good councils (like Blackburn) with four-star ratings and a miserable populace.
Guess that pretty much puts the kibosh on the idea that government, whether good or not, will make us happier.
And given that you’ve bought into the idea that the aim of this whole civilisation thing is to make us happier, we’re going to have to find ways to do it without more government, aren’t we?
4 responses so far ↓
1 Kay Tie // Jun 27, 2009 at 11:07 am
I dunno. If the Government locked up all the people like Polly it would make me happier.
2 Kit // Jun 27, 2009 at 12:23 pm
It was government that gave us social housing, multiculturalism, and the welfare state. So government cannot make you happy but it can make you miserable.
3 Ian B // Jun 27, 2009 at 2:01 pm
Well, all those things are proxies for social class, aren’t they, so it’s just saying that being wealthy is nicer than being poor, and of course that’s true. But frankly I’d much rather live in my lower class area full of ethnic minorities, children, and so on, than have a smug, priveleged old boot like Polly for a neighbour.
4 Kay Tie // Jun 27, 2009 at 3:08 pm
“I’d much rather live in my lower class area full of ethnic minorities, children, and so on, than have a smug, priveleged old boot like Polly for a neighbour.”
Since you’re not a rural Tuscan, you’re likely to get your wish.
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