In the rankings, Finland continues to occupy the top spot, with a score significantly ahead of other countries in the top ten. Denmark continues to occupy second place, with Iceland up from 4th place last year to 3rd this year. Switzerland is 4th, followed by the Netherlands.
The relationship between trust and corruption and citizens' well-being under the COVID-19 pandemic:
In World Happiness Report 2020, individuals with high social and institutional trust levels were found happier than those living in less trusting and trustworthy environments. The benefits of high trust were especially great for those in conditions of adversity, including ill-health, unemployment, low income and discrimination.
World Happiness Report 2021 presented new evidence using the return of lost wallets as a powerful measure of trust and benevolence.
The Report compared the trust and life satisfaction effects of the likelihood of a Gallup World Poll respondent’s lost wallet being returned with the comparably measured likelihood of negative events, such as illness or violent crime.
The results were striking, with the expected likely return of a lost wallet being associated with a life evaluation more than one point higher on the 0 to 10 scale, far higher than the association with any of the negative events assessed by the same respondents.