UK to launch 'happiness' index

Government to measure "general well-being" of population at a time when tough austerity measures are beginning to bite.

 The measure comes amid deep public spending cuts and tax hikes aimed at curbing the public deficit [EPA]

The British government is set to measure the country's "happiness" in an effort to give a fuller picture of how the nation is performing.

David Cameron, the prime minister, who had previously called for "general well-being" to be assessed alongside traditional economic indicators, outlined some of the plans on Thursday, sparking criticism from some quarters.

The move, which will cost around $2.7m, has been labeled "airy-fairy" and a diversion tactic at a time when unpopular austerity measures, including public spending cuts and tax hikes, are coming into force.

Unite, a major trade union, criticized the plan for diverting attention from the country's economic woes, calling it "another attempt by the coalition to pull the wool over peoples' eyes".

"No doubt Cameron will use the index to claim that despite rising unemployment, home repossessions, longer NHS waiting lists and unaffordable education, the people of this country are happier under Tory rule. The reality is a gathering gloom," Len McCluskey, the general-secretary-elect, said in a statement.
 

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