Three economics professors from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, have contributed to the World Happiness Report 2026. The global study was released on March 19, 2026, and measures how satisfied people are with their lives in different countries.
Drs. Zeynep Ozkok, Jonathan Rosborough, and Brandon Malloy wrote a specific chapter for the report that looks at how using the internet affects how people feel. They used information from the European Social Survey to see how being online changes a person’s trust in others and their social connections.
The report showed that Canada is currently ranked as the 25th happiest country in the world. Finland kept its position at the top of the list for the ninth year in a row.
This year, the research focused on how social media and digital tools affect global happiness levels. The study is published by the Wellbeing Research Centre at the University of Oxford to mark the International Day of Happiness on March 20, 2026.
