5 ms·

I wonder if the lack of ethnic diversity in the "happier" countries is a contributing factor: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/05/16/a-re

by zdean 10y ago

I wonder if the lack of ethnic diversity in the "happier" countries is a contributing factor: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/05/16/a-revealing-map-of-the-worlds-most-and-least-ethnically-diverse-countries/?utm_term=.d5df93ee526b https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2013/05/16...

microcolonel 10y ago
Canada seems to be second from the top in that scale (though I have no idea how you would choose the scale for a chart of "ethnic diversity"), and only 7th from the top of this "happiness survey". I don't think either dataset is gathered reliably, but if you're looking at a correlation there, there are glaring exceptions. As somebody who lives in Canada, I think cultural compatibility is important, but ethnic homogeneity is unnecessary. Ethnicities are generally a proxy for cultures, Canada has a great deal of success in separating the two, though the prime minister doesn't seem to get it. Anyway, not a hard-and-fast opinion, but I think ethnicity is a weak bond, and probably should be.
prodikl 10y ago
i doubt it. japan and south korea are pretty homogeneous and they have some of the highest suicide rates in the world
- avar 10y ago
  That would be an argument against it being the sole factor, but has little to do with whether it's a contributing factor.
known 10y ago
True as per Putnam http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/08/05/the_downside_of_diversity/ http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/08/05/t...
fergie 10y ago
Other people have mentioned Japan, but you could look at basically any eastern european state to see lots of ethnically pure, yet miserable populations. EDIT: those countries are getting better, but still...
- taway_1212 10y ago
  Most of them are recovering from communism, and cleaning up the economic and social damage will take a long time.
  - zdean 10y ago
    That. And not to forget that many of the countries that are left over are the failed attempt to have different ethnic/cultural groups exist under one umbrella (USSR, Czechoslovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia)...not unlike the pressure in places like Iraq, Syria, etc that we see today.
- edblarney 10y ago
  "eastern european state to see lots of ethnically pure, yet miserable populations." True - but you also have nearly 70 years of ruthless, totalitarian oppression. What the Soviets did was leave people very cynical. It's changing though. Remains to be seen I guess.
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darpa_escapee 10y ago
Why is this considered a reasonable factor that's often brought up in discussions rather than other somewhat unique aspects of their government and society?
- zdean 10y ago
  Because making it possible for ethnically/racially/culturally diverse groups to live happily together is and has historically been a major challenge. So a country that has immigration policies that promote homogeneity will avoid many of those challenges. It's certainly not the only factor...but I can't imagine that it doesn't play a major role.
  - darpa_escapee 10y ago
    I gave it 4 days and I still think it's a rhetorical Trojan horse for white nationalism. I've quite literally never seen that argument trotted out in any other context.
donquichotte 10y ago
This is a strange conclusion from the data provides. One counterexample is Switzerland (4th): "Switzerland and Australia, with about a quarter of their population born outside the country, are the two countries with the highest proportion of immigrants in the western world." [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_Switzerland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_Switzerland
- rayiner 10y ago
  The largest immigrant groups in Switzerland are from Italy and Germany--countries with which Switzerland has close ethnic and linguistic ties. Same thing with Australia. By far the largest foreign-born groups in Australia are from the U.K. and New Zealand, again countries with which Australia has close ethnic and linguistic ties.

by zdean 10y ago

microcolonel 10y ago

Canada seems to be second from the top in that scale (though I have no idea how you would choose the scale for a chart of "ethnic diversity"), and only 7th from the top of this "happiness survey". I don't think either dataset is gathered reliably, but if you're looking at a correlation there, there are glaring exceptions. As somebody who lives in Canada, I think cultural compatibility is important, but ethnic homogeneity is unnecessary. Ethnicities are generally a proxy for cultures, Canada has a great deal of success in separating the two, though the prime minister doesn't seem to get it. Anyway, not a hard-and-fast opinion, but I think ethnicity is a weak bond, and probably should be.

prodikl 10y ago

i doubt it. japan and south korea are pretty homogeneous and they have some of the highest suicide rates in the world

avar 10y ago
That would be an argument against it being the sole factor, but has little to do with whether it's a contributing factor.

known 10y ago

True as per Putnam http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/08/05/the_downside_of_diversity/ http://www.boston.com/news/globe/ideas/articles/2007/08/05/t...

fergie 10y ago

Other people have mentioned Japan, but you could look at basically any eastern european state to see lots of ethnically pure, yet miserable populations. EDIT: those countries are getting better, but still...

taway_1212 10y ago
Most of them are recovering from communism, and cleaning up the economic and social damage will take a long time.
- zdean 10y ago
  That. And not to forget that many of the countries that are left over are the failed attempt to have different ethnic/cultural groups exist under one umbrella (USSR, Czechoslovakia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Yugoslavia)...not unlike the pressure in places like Iraq, Syria, etc that we see today.
edblarney 10y ago
"eastern european state to see lots of ethnically pure, yet miserable populations." True - but you also have nearly 70 years of ruthless, totalitarian oppression. What the Soviets did was leave people very cynical. It's changing though. Remains to be seen I guess.
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darpa_escapee 10y ago

Why is this considered a reasonable factor that's often brought up in discussions rather than other somewhat unique aspects of their government and society?

zdean 10y ago
Because making it possible for ethnically/racially/culturally diverse groups to live happily together is and has historically been a major challenge. So a country that has immigration policies that promote homogeneity will avoid many of those challenges. It's certainly not the only factor...but I can't imagine that it doesn't play a major role.
- darpa_escapee 10y ago
  I gave it 4 days and I still think it's a rhetorical Trojan horse for white nationalism. I've quite literally never seen that argument trotted out in any other context.

donquichotte 10y ago

This is a strange conclusion from the data provides. One counterexample is Switzerland (4th): "Switzerland and Australia, with about a quarter of their population born outside the country, are the two countries with the highest proportion of immigrants in the western world." [1] [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_Switzerland https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immigration_to_Switzerland

rayiner 10y ago
The largest immigrant groups in Switzerland are from Italy and Germany--countries with which Switzerland has close ethnic and linguistic ties. Same thing with Australia. By far the largest foreign-born groups in Australia are from the U.K. and New Zealand, again countries with which Australia has close ethnic and linguistic ties.