We are getting happier

For all our problems, we are a happier bunch than the people of many first-world nations - including those of soccer World Cup champions Germany.

We're so happy that Pharrell should have considered shooting his music video for his ubiquitous song Happy here.

According to the latest Ipsos Global Trends survey, the only people happier than we are Swedes (88%), Canadians (86%) and Australians (85%) - 83% of South Africans say they are happy.

This is made more interesting by the fact that only 29% of the South Africans surveyed said they were optimistic about next year, whereas 47.6% were pessimistic.

The survey covered 20 countries, including Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, the UK, India, Italy, Japan, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Turkey and the US.

Zooming in on South Africa, the survey found that:

• 74% believed were happier in "the old days", when there were thought to be fewer problems;
• 74% said there are too many immigrants, 87% felt we live in an increasingly dangerous world and 72% thought the world is changing too fast;
• 63% disagreed when asked if they thought the role of women in society was to be good wives and mothers (but 33% still appear to live in the Dark Ages);
• 84% said women should have the same rights and powers as men, but only 60% believed that things would be better if women had greater responsibility in the workplace;
• 74.4% said gays and lesbians should be free to live as they wish;
• 88% said parents do not take enough responsibility for the behaviour of their children, and 54% thought that one parent can bring up a child just as well as two;
• South Africans ( among the most obese in the world) achieved the highest rating in terms of heath satisfaction at 79%; and,
• Less than half (46%) said they expected their personal financial situation to be much stronger in six months than it is now.

In 2012 the Happy Planet Index, compiled by the New Economics Foundation, ranked South Africa 142nd among 151 countries polled - with a low average life expectancy and low levels of happiness - but this country was ranked the 96th-happiest country in last year's World Happiness Report, based on data from 2010 to 2012.