OECD - Better life index

[velvetfog]

Create your own better life index by rating the factors that are most important to you.
Then sort the nation list by rank, to see which country is most suited to your needs.
Go here to take the test: --> http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/#/22313112311

[LZA]

My top three:

1. Switzerland
2. Norway
3. Canada

My home country of The Unites States came in 8th... Interesting. Thanks for the post!

(This post was last modified: 05-29-2013, 08:13 PM by LZA.)

[sporkium]

bhutan
united arab emirates
kazakhstan

(interesting fact: these countries do not have an extradition treaty with the united states)

[SkinnyP]

1. Switzerland
2. Canada
3. U.S.

But this test is totally biased. I couldn't get Mexico to the #1 rank. Even after I set all my sliders to match Mexico exactly, it still ranked Mexico #28 for me. No matter what you choose the top choices are all always the same 10 or so, just shuffled around.

Bogus.

[velvetfog]

Some countries are much better than others.
Playing with the various weighing factors will therefore only cause slight changes in the overall ratings of the nations.

[srijantje]

right,thanks,P

[SkinnyP]

Some countries are much better than others.

Hmmm.

So someone who loves Mexico and it's culture and heritage and people and whose priorities all match exactly the priorities shown for Mexico on the site, would be happier living in Norway or Sweden because they are 'better'? I doubt it.

The site is interesting and all but I still call bogus. Isn't the most important ranking on there the 'life satisfaction' ranking? Isn't that what this thing is supposed to be measuring in the first place?

Mexico has one of the higher ranks in 'life satisfaction' compared to all the others and it is still ranked one of the lowest overall.

Personally I am getting sick of hearing how much 'better' all those Scandinavian countries are supposed to be than everywhere else. I am sure they are nice places to live, but not everyone in the world would love them as much as they seem to think.

Rant over.

[velvetfog]

Take a look at Mexico in detail: --> http://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/count...2313112311

[sporkium]

Isn't the most important ranking on there the 'life satisfaction' ranking? Isn't that what this thing is supposed to be measuring in the first place?

'life satisfaction' varies based on the locals. what most mexicans consider to be a satisfying life would more than likely compel me to commit an act of ritual suicide.

[SkinnyP]

Yes I realize that many people, including the people who made this test, would not like Mexico, which I only picked because it was on the lower end of the scale btw, but that doesn't mean others wouldn't like it.

As it says on the details for Mexico,

"In general, Mexicans are more satisfied with their lives than the OECD average, with 85% of people saying they have more positive experiences in an average day (feelings of rest, pride in accomplishment, enjoyment, etc) than negative ones (pain, worry, sadness, boredom, etc). This figure is higher than the OECD average of 80%."

So why are they ranked so low? Because their income and education and so on are less than Norway? What if that doesn't matter to a person? If you say it doesn't matter on the sliders, it still picks freakin' Norway or Sweden almost every time as your best match. Bogus.