Why confident Danes stand out as Europe's most optimistic nation
Denmark has come out top in a survey on what people think about the current state of their country compared to others, and how optimistic they are about the future.
A new YouGov Eurotrack survey of seven Western European countries (Denmark, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden), as well as the US, has shown that a lot of people feel negatively about their own country and believe it to be worse than other western countries. That is, except for Denmark.
Denmark was revealed as the most optimistic country in the poll as some 47 percent of people surveyed believed that Denmark was in a better state as a country than other western nations. Just 6 percent thought things were generally worse in Denmark than elsewhere.
At the other end of the scale, 43 percent of people in the UK thought their country was in a worse state than other western countries. Italy (41 percent), Spain (40 percent) and Germany (34 percent) were close behind.
Denmark also scored highest when it came to views on the current state of their country. 68 percent of people thought Denmark was currently in a "good state" and 64 percent also thought the situation would remain the same for the next year.
By contrast, in the UK just 16 percent of people thought the country was in a "good state", closely followed by France (22 percent), Italy (23 percent), Spain (24 percent) and Germany (26 percent). In Sweden, opinions were divided, with 48 percent of people saying the country was in a "bad state" but 44 percent feeling it was doing well.
The contrast between Denmark and other countries is revealing, happiness researcher and Professor of Economics at Aarhus University, Christian Bjørnskov told The Local.
"The interesting thing about Denmark in particular right now is that the government is unpopular. The three parties currently in government in Denmark got 50.5 percent of the vote [in the 2022 election, ed.]. Now less than two years later they're polling at 30 percent. But it hasn't affected Danes' views of their life and optimism of the future," he explained.
"It's a very good example of how unimportant politics are to the basis of people's lives in general, but Denmark is a clear example right now," he added.
READ ALSO: 'The state takes care of you': Why Denmark is such a 'happy' country
The happiness of Danes with their country is well recorded. This year the UN World Happiness Report ranked Denmark as the world's second happiest country for the sixth year in a row, just behind Finland. It took first place in 2013 and 2016.
Denmark's second largest city Aarhus was also named this year as the world's happiest city. So is Denmark objectively a better country to live in, or are Danes a more optimistic nation?
"It is both," Bjørnskov said.
"Denmark for cultural reasons is a very nice place to live. Along with Norway, we are the most trusting nations in the world. Britain has a pretty nice trust culture but it's not comparable to the Nordic trust culture and those factors are more important than politics or weather.
"Because of the very strong trust culture and the tradition and feeling in Denmark that you can choose your life yourself; that belief creates optimism in Denmark and is a major factor in understanding why Danes are so optimistic," Bjørnskov explained.
READ ALSO: 'Grey... but comfortable': Are foreigners as 'happy' in Denmark as the Danes are?
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A new YouGov Eurotrack survey of seven Western European countries (Denmark, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden), as well as the US, has shown that a lot of people feel negatively about their own country and believe it to be worse than other western countries. That is, except for Denmark.
Denmark was revealed as the most optimistic country in the poll as some 47 percent of people surveyed believed that Denmark was in a better state as a country than other western nations. Just 6 percent thought things were generally worse in Denmark than elsewhere.
At the other end of the scale, 43 percent of people in the UK thought their country was in a worse state than other western countries. Italy (41 percent), Spain (40 percent) and Germany (34 percent) were close behind.
Denmark also scored highest when it came to views on the current state of their country. 68 percent of people thought Denmark was currently in a "good state" and 64 percent also thought the situation would remain the same for the next year.
By contrast, in the UK just 16 percent of people thought the country was in a "good state", closely followed by France (22 percent), Italy (23 percent), Spain (24 percent) and Germany (26 percent). In Sweden, opinions were divided, with 48 percent of people saying the country was in a "bad state" but 44 percent feeling it was doing well.
The contrast between Denmark and other countries is revealing, happiness researcher and Professor of Economics at Aarhus University, Christian Bjørnskov told The Local.
"The interesting thing about Denmark in particular right now is that the government is unpopular. The three parties currently in government in Denmark got 50.5 percent of the vote [in the 2022 election, ed.]. Now less than two years later they're polling at 30 percent. But it hasn't affected Danes' views of their life and optimism of the future," he explained.
"It's a very good example of how unimportant politics are to the basis of people's lives in general, but Denmark is a clear example right now," he added.
READ ALSO: 'The state takes care of you': Why Denmark is such a 'happy' country
The happiness of Danes with their country is well recorded. This year the UN World Happiness Report ranked Denmark as the world's second happiest country for the sixth year in a row, just behind Finland. It took first place in 2013 and 2016.
Denmark's second largest city Aarhus was also named this year as the world's happiest city. So is Denmark objectively a better country to live in, or are Danes a more optimistic nation?
"It is both," Bjørnskov said.
"Denmark for cultural reasons is a very nice place to live. Along with Norway, we are the most trusting nations in the world. Britain has a pretty nice trust culture but it's not comparable to the Nordic trust culture and those factors are more important than politics or weather.
"Because of the very strong trust culture and the tradition and feeling in Denmark that you can choose your life yourself; that belief creates optimism in Denmark and is a major factor in understanding why Danes are so optimistic," Bjørnskov explained.
READ ALSO: 'Grey... but comfortable': Are foreigners as 'happy' in Denmark as the Danes are?
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