Over 38,000 people have taken the Gross National Happiness Index and over 120 cities, communities and campuses are using the Gross National Happiness. They have their happiness scores and are asking - now what? The Happiness Data Playbook offers ideas for policy makers and community activists to use the data for the happiness, sustainability and wellbeing of all. Inspired by the World Happiness Report, Legatum Institute Wellbeing and Policy report, and other documents, this document includes links to examples and resources.

1. Happiness Data
Playbook for a City

2. What does
happiness
have to do
with any of
this?

3. Over 100 areas have
gathered data using the
Gross National Happiness
Index. They have their scores.
They are asking:
WHAT NOW?

4. The Happiness Data Playbook
for a City is a guide for policy
makers and activist to take
action for happiness,
sustainability and resilience
based on their area’s Gross
National Happiness Scores.

5. Our sources for
these project,
policies and
programs

6. Standard of Living/Material Well-being/Economy
Happiness science tells us that our happiness is impacted more by
what our wealth is in comparison to others than the amount of
goods or our wealth alone. In addition. There are many positive
connections with greater income equality including health,
psychology and safety.
The Easterlin Paradox tells us
that happiness increases
greatly as your salary increases
up to a certain point – about
75K for a family of four no
matter where they live in the
US. After this, there are only
marginal and diminishing
returns to happiness as income
increases. The Easterlin
Paradox is true for countries
across the globe, although the
amount varies. Note that short
term happiness does increase
with a big win or boost in
salary, but will return to prior
levels in 2 weeks – 6 months.
Your areas average scores for standard of living/material well-being
are likely high, but if you look at specific populations or
the difference between those who self assess high and those
who self assess low, you will find a large spread, with some
scoring themselves as low as 1 others as high as 9.5 or even 10.
And studies tell us that everyone’s wellbeing increases when no
one in an area is suffering economically. In other words, as the
gap between rich and poor decreases, everyone’s happiness
increases.
“Jobs” is often the answer to alleviate economic suffering.
Happiness data helps to point to the populations the jobs will
most help.

7. income
Standard of Living/Material Well-being/Economy
Minimum Wage Laws
to help low-income workers and
their families.
An example process: 1) Mayor
forms an Income Inequality
Advisory Committee that
includes representatives from
labor, business, and non-profits
to make recommendations. 2)
Mayor makes a proposal to the
City Council. 3) City Council
forms a Select Committee to
make recommendations. 4) City
Council votes.
example minimum wage ordinance:
http://www.seattle.gov/council/issues/minimumwage/default.html

8. Standard of Living/Material Well-being/Economy
Inclusionary Zoning Laws
– zoning laws define how you can use
your property.
Inclusionary zoning is being used in
some areas to increase diversity and
inclusion in neighborhoods. Inclusionary
zoning requires large housing units or
housing development projects
to dedicate a portion of their units to
lower income households.
example inclusionary zoning laws:
http://policylink.info/EDTK/IZ/resources.html

9. Standard of Living/Material Well-being/Economy
Reengaging Disconnected
Youth Programs - Up to one
forth of 16- 24 year olds are not in
school or employed. Cities often
collaborate with nonprofits to offer
job training and employment,
secondary and post secondary
education, substance abuse
counseling, community service,
mentor networking, early
childhood & juvenile programs,
arts& recreation programs,
financial literacy and health care.
source: http://www.nlc.org/Documents/Find%20City%20Solutions/IYEF/At-
Risk%20Youth/disconnected-youth-action-kit-apr07.pdf

10. Standard of Living/Material Well-being/Economy
Green Energy Investment
City-owned utilities investing in
green energy often starts with a goal
for renewable megawatts and solar
or wind power installations. Jobs
can come from investment in
manufacturing, education, research
& development, as well as incentive
programs.
example Green Energy Investment:
http://www.sanantonio.gov/IID/IndustryClusters/RenewableEnergy.aspx
example Green Energy incentive programs:
http://www.sfenvironment.org/energy/renewable-energy

11. Governance
Science tells us that
participating in the
democratic process leads
to a deeper sense of
happiness and wellbeing.
Moreover, research
indicates that when
governance quality
increases, people’s
wellbeing increases.
Governance systems
include the judicial system,
the police system and the
legislative process.
Scores in the domain of governance are consistently low for
most every area. Confidence in local and federal
government, ability to influence public officials and
corruption are measured. The most common objective
metric used to measure participation in government is
voting rates.
Consistently low scores could indicate a degree of crisis in
belief that one can make a difference or counts when it
comes to politics.
Measuring citizen happiness and using this data to inform
decisions for allocation of resources and promulgation of
policy is one way to reengage voters and rebuild trust in
government. Subjective wellbeing surveys are also a way to
create a feedback loop between the recipients of services
and the people, departments and bureaucracies providing
services, which is proven to increase satisfaction with
government services.

12. Almedalen Political Festival
modeled after a Swedish program:
An annual 3-day to week long
public meeting for politicians, the
public, journalists and NGOs. All
parties have equal opportunity. In
Sweden, the political festival is
national event. In Denmark, cities
and regions hold politial festivals
for shorter times (3 days).
Governance
example: http://www.almedalsveckan.info/6895

13. Participatory Budgeting
Citizens meet with policy
makers to come to agreement
on the priorities for part of the
local government budget for
their neighborhood or the city
and help the implementation of
projects or policies.
Governance
source: http://pubs.iied.org/pdfs/10713IIED.pdf
example: http://eau.sagepub.com/content/26/1/257

14. Social Media & E-Government
New York City has over 300 social media
channels, from you tube for the
environmental protection department to
facebook for the mayor’s office. NYC also
took a hint from Beijing city in
implementing E-Government, where by
internal and external (everything from
filing in court to monitoring programs and
forming policy), suppliers and other is
streamlined through use of information
technology.
Governance
example: http://www1.nyc.gov/connect/social-media.page
resource: http://www.nyc.gov/html/ia/gp/downloads/pdf/beijingwhitepaper.pdf

15. Community
A sense of safety, trust in others and giving in
terms of volunteerism and donations are
measured in the community domain.
Encouraging and facilitating volunteerism in a city
or rural area is likely a crucial strategy to
happiness for residents and the sustainability of a
city or rural community.
Community and social support is likely the most
important life circumstance that influences our
happiness. A strong sense of community has
impacts on our psychological and physical
health, participation in the democratic process,
our local economy and how we treat nature.

16. National Citizen Service for Youth
is a program that provides leadership development and
team building to high school youth during school breaks.
Youth spend the 3 days – 2 weeks hiking and team
building, followed by a week of residential volunteer
work. They identify their passion and develop a social
action project that meets a need in their community.
They then spend 30 hours implementing the project in
their community. They also receive mentoring. Some
programs offer students about $100 to complete the
program, others are funded or supported by companies.
source & example: mm
Community
example: http://www.ncsyes.co.uk/
source: http://www.li.com/programmes/the-commission-on-wellbeing-and-policy

17. Parking Days – one
day whereby anyone
transform a parking space
into a mini-park. Here, a
woman is giving away
starts.
Community
example: http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/seattleparkingday.htm

18. Social Support
Personal relationships, feeling loved, feeling that people caring
about one are all aspects of social support. A personal safety net
helps one when they need help, such as when out of a job,
homeless or seriously ill. Safety nets can come from family and
friends and policies and programs that help people when they
are in need. Where governments provide strong safety nets,
people self-assess themselves happier than others living in a city,
state or country where safety nets are the job of family or non-governmental
organizations, or non-existent.
Happiness science tells us that you will be
about as happy as those whose company you
keep. This means one should choose one’s
friends wisely and make choices about one’s
own life circumstances and way of being to
be good company.
Some of the most unhappy places on earth
are those where people feel the utmost of
danger: countries suffering under civil
warfare. The ability to meet one’s
psychological and safety needs are necessary
to the pursuit of happiness.

19. Rights to Fresh Air is part of
Eldercare in Denmark and it is illegal to
imprison people with dimentia in locked
wards. At Lotte, the rockstar of eldercare in
Copenhagen, elders and caregivers look like a
family, even falling in love in old age. The
home, like many in Denmark, is small (about
20 -30 elders). Elders are provided
kitchenettes and meals are together.
Social Support
example: http://www.seniorsatrisk.org/2012/12/its-a-wonderful-life-not-available-in-canada-or-the-u-s/

20. Lifelong learning
Lifelong learning is not necessarily tied to education
levels. Certainly one learns from formal education, but
there are many ways to learn informally. Lifelong learning
can be a portal to greater happiness and reaching one’s
full potential.
Emerging science tells us that we learn
throughout our lives on many levels: intellectual,
emotional, moral, social, intrapersonal, strategic,
spiritual, musical, mathematical,
kinesthetic/somatic affective, spatial,
psychosexual and others. One can be highly
developed on one level, but not on another (such
as highly intellectual but not moral).

21. Apprenticeship programs
offer training and job experience,
sometimes structured to allow a person an
education without debt. Rochester, NY
passed an ordinance that requires city
construction projects over a certain
amount to offer apprenticeships. San
Fernando, CA Mariachi Masters apprentice
program for youth fosters the local
heritage and has lead to increased high
school graduation rates and number of
students pursuing higher education.
Lifelong learning
example: www.cityofrochester.gov/apprenticeshiptraining/ & www.sfrcs.com/community-programs/
cultural-art-programs/mariachi-master-apprentice-program-mmap/

22. Chicago's Botanical
Gardens are open to the public and
free. In addition to opportunities to learn
about nature and plant identification, the
garden offers a host of classes for adults
ranging from arts and crafts,
photography, cooking or master gardener
classes. There is also an urban agriculture
job training program for youth and a
conservation program. The garden is
expanding to include more classrooms for
fitness programs and a children’s garden.
Lifelong learning
example: http://www.chicagobotanic.org/

23. Arts & culture
Arts and culture include the sports, visual art, literature,
music, theatre, film, dance, cuisine, language, social habit,
religion and the beliefs and customs of a society, group or
geographic region.
A city or rural region devoid of arts and culture is devoid
of character, and conversely, thriving societies,
economies and natural environments are often tied to a
strong sense of an areas culture.
A strong sense of culture is closely ties with a
strong sense of community, and can help bolster
one’s sense of community. Community is highly
correlated with personal happiness and wellbeing
for all.

24. Arts & culture
Limit or Ban Marketing to Children. A few cities limit or
ban marketing to children. Quebec does allow children to be subject
to “treatment whose design appeals particularly to the instinctual
needs of children so as to arouse their interest” such as undue use of
a child’s voice, magic and fantasy themes, exploitation of parent-child
bonds, animation, and music that particularly appeals to
children.
example: http://www.pubzone.com/fc/child-que/index.cfm

25. Cultural Policy. Sydney,
Australia’s cultural policy
promotes creativity in the arts,
such as public art, festivals, live
performances and music,
creative hubs and partnerships
to foster expressions of
creativity and creative spaces.
The cultural policy includes
plans to develop a fellowship
program, artist housing, street
and building murals, and foster
appreciation of aboriginal
culture and its expression.
Arts & culture
example http://www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/explore/arts-and-culture/cultural-policyxample:

26. Work
Productivity, autonomy, appreciation, and levels of interest
are measured in the work domain. Work comprises about
one third of a person’s waking life. Work is also an important
factor that determines whether a person will stay in a city or
rural region or stay.
Many cities and rural communities area starting to
understand the difference between job creation and quality
job creation that serves local people who need and will
benefit from the jobs as opposed to new jobs that bring in
non-locals and leave local with fewer and fewer options on
many levels.
Happiness science tells us that happiness at work highly tied to work that demands one’s
highest capacity and greatest interests brings about happiness, greater productivity and better
results. Another way to say this is work that enables one to “self-actualize” brings about
better results for all – the employee, the employer and society at large.

27. Workforce Development
for the homeless, people not
literate in English and ex-cons is
provided by the City of Chicago
through various agencies.
Industry specific training,
placement and support through
the first six months of work,
transitional jobs which provides
subsidized employment paired
with skills development and
other services, and community
re-entry support centers for ex-offenders
that provides
employment assistance,
housing, counseling and family
reunification services are
provided.
Work
example: www.cityofchicago.org/city/en/depts/fss/provdrs/workforce_development/svcs/a_guide_to_worknetchicagoprogramsandlocations.html

28. Time Balance
Time balance scores are consistently the lowest of all domain
scores for most every area. There are two types of time
imbalance: not having enough time to do everything you want to
do, and not having enough time to do all the things you don’t
want to do. Studies show that when people work over 40 hours,
no matter how much they are paid or love their jobs, their
wellbeing suffer.
Flextime, compressed work-week, Job sharing (2 part
time employees for one FT position), telecommuting
and permanent part time (often 30 hours a week,
with employee deciding hours and days working),
wellness-leave (as opposed to sick leave) days,
shortened work hours for parents of small children
or sick elders and limits on long work hours or
overnight working and are a few solutions employers
have used to manage time balance.
Happiness science tells
us that the most
unhappy times are
commutes to work. The
most unhappy days are
Tuesday, (not Monday)
and we are happiest on
the weekends or
holidays.

29. Time Balance
Transportation System.
Copenhagen is famous for being bicycle
friendly, but metro, train, ferry, road and bus
system work together to provide one of the
most complete transportation systems. Up to
half commute are by bike, with city-provided
public bikes available. Most bike lanes are
separated from traffic or on greenways.
Regional trains connects suburban areas to the
city, trains serve the urban neighborhoods and
buses and an underground metro system serves
the city. The same ticket can be used for trains,
metro and buses.

30. Time Balance
Pedestrianized streets. Downtown Burlington,
VT Church Street is pedestrian-only for four blocks. The streets
were converted in the 1980s and includes over 80 retail stores.
The street was resurfaced with brick, the addition of canopies
and shelters and bus stops at intersections. Construction did
not cause any business closures. Today, the area is vibrant
with festivals, street artists, café dining and shopping.
resource: http://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/complete-streets/a-to-z

31. Time Balance
Sick Leave Ordinances - The City
of San Francisco Administrative Code
Paid Sick Leave Ordinance provides sick
leave for workers and includes part time
and temp workers. In the City of Seattle,
council members passed Paid Sick Leave
and Paid Safe time ordinance 123698
that provides leave for illness, as well as
children and elder illness. It also provides
leave for domestic violence victims who
need time off to ensure their own safety.
example: http://sfgsa.org/index.aspx?page=419 & www.seattle.gov/civilrights/sickleave.htm

32. Environment
Environment scores are usually high for rural areas and low in urban
areas. Questions in the survey include the topics of access to nature,
efforts to conserve and restore the environment, and air quality.
Access to nature and experiencing a healthy environment can be a
challenge when spaces are limited and there are many factors on a
global scale and outside of our control. Providing opportunities to
experience and appreciate nature on a neighborhood level can help
inspire hope and encourage actions to preserve and restore our
environment.
Happiness data gathered from
apps tells us that for most of
us, we are happiest when we
are in nature. This can be a
park, in the garden or hiking in
the mountains. We experience
lower stress and higher life
satisfaction when we are in
nature. Science is also
indicating that when we spend
time in nature, we get sick less.

33. Environment
Daylighting streams or
creeks involves restoring a stream
to a more natural state. Streams or
creeks that had been diverted into
culvers or drainage systems are restored
when parking lots, vacant lots or roads
are removed. In addition the waterway,
banks or “riparian zones” are rebuilt to
restore the waterways natural
functions, including fish and wildlife
habitat, storm water management and
urban watershed improvement.
example: http://landscapeandurbanism.blogspot.com/2009/06/seeing-daylight.html

34. Pocket parks, also called
parkettes, mini-parks, vesty parks
are small public spaces. They are
sometimes built on vacant lots or
irregular plots in a city or rural
community. Plants, habitat for
birds and other wildlife, gathering
places and a playground can
characterize a pocket park. They
are often created through a
partnership between community
members and a city or regional
government.
Environment
example:
www.psrc.org/assets/9561/urban_ag.pdf/www.psrc.org/assets/9561/urban_ag.pdf

35. Health
Research indicates that health
is more highly correlated to
happiness than income.
Science also shows us that the
more friends one has, the less
chance a person will get sick
with the cold or flu.
Physical health is closely tied to
psychological health as well as to a
sense of community and a healthy
environment. Access to
healthcare and life expectancy are
the common metrics used to
measure health. Subjective
metrics gather information on
how healthy and capable people
feel they are, their energy levels,
and satisfaction with their quality
of exercise.

36. Urban Agriculture
Ordinances allows
small-scale farming in urban
and residential areas.
Keeping chickens (but not
roosters), goats, beehives,
and other small animals is
allowed. Urban Ag ordinances
also allow for farm structures
and may permit selling of
produce and eggs, meat, fur
or animals. They may also
allow for roof-top and vertical
indoor farms.
example: Seattle City Ordinance 123378: http://clerk.seattle.gov/~public/CBOR1.htm
Health

37. Food Stamps at Farmers Markets
Farmers markets in Salt Lake City, Moab and other cities in
Utah accept food stamps due to a collaboration with the state
department of agriculture and workforce service. The USDA
helps farmers markets accept food stamps and other forms of
supplemental payment from low income people.
Health
source: www.fns.usda.gov/ebt/learn-about-snap-benefits-farmers-markets

38. Psychological Health
Feeling one is part of something
greater than oneself and that one
has an impact on that higher
sense of self are key factors in
personal happiness. A person
who feels they are part of
something greater than
themselves but have little or no
impact can become depressed.
Mental wellbeing or psychological
wellbeing is measured using the
“thriving index” and asks
questions related to self-efficacy,
optimism and positive self-thinking.
Mental wellbeing is
highly correlated to feeling happy
and satisfied with life. Conversely,
mental illness has a strong
negative impact on an individuals
happiness. The World Happiness
Report 2013 places high priority
on mental health.

39. Mental Illness Treatment -Training
to primary healthcare providers (general
practice doctors, nurses and community
health workers) for recognizing and
treating mental illness using the World
Health Organization guidelines. It is being
used in some rural areas in China for
epilepsy (where it was considered
possession by evil spirits), cities in Nigeria
for mentally disabled children, and cities in
India and Sri Lanka for students vulnerable
to suicide.
Psychological Health
source: www.who.int/mental_health/publications/mhGAP_intervention_guide/ en/
example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqlafjsOaoM

40. Mindfulness in Schools is
integrated into primary school
curricula by training teachers on
mindfulness practices and how to
guide children through mindfulness
to help them learn how to “pay
attention.” Mindfulness training is
based on scientific development for
secular use and aimed at helping
children focus on their breathing and
practice loving kindness.
Psychological Health
example: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/16/us/16mindful.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

41. Psychological Health
Social and Emotional Learning (SEL)
programs in schools. Teachers are trained to integrate SEL
into the curriculum so that SEL lessons are taught every day.
Children learn the social and behavioral skills needed to be
successful. Lessons including social problem solving,
relationship skills, social awareness, self awareness, dispute
innovation, communication, resilience and capacity to deal
with uncertainty, and decision making.
resource:files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED540203.pdf &
www.education.vic.gov.au/school/principals/health/pages/socialemotion.aspx

42. This is a working
document.
We intend to keep building it.
This is a working
document.
We intend to keep building it.

43. HHaavvee aann iiddeeaa??
Let us know.
happy@happycounts.or
Let us know.
happy@happycounts.or
g
g

44. Join the Happiness Revolution
Take the
Gross National Happiness Index
Use the Gross National Happiness Index
for your project or area
happycounts.org

45. More ideas on happiness in
practice and policy for
governments:
Happiness in Public Policy
by Laura Musikanski
http://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/jsc/vol6/iss1/5/