We don’t want to be the cause of any existential crises, but it’s an interesting question – and one that the United Nations is interested in as a measure of social progress.

So how happy are Canadians? As of this year, we’re number 6 on a list of 156 countries in the U.N.’s World Happiness Report. Let’s face it: we have it good (despite who’s running the country!).

But what does the data tell us about world happiness and public policy decisions?

According to Benjamin Radcliff, a professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, it shows that a strong social safety net is conducive to human happiness.

“The relationship could not be stronger or clearer,” wrote Radcliff in a recent opinion piece for CNN “However much it may pain conservatives to hear it, the ‘nanny state,’ as they disparagingly call it, works. Across the Western world, the quality of human life increases as the size of the state increases. It turns out that having a ‘nanny’ makes life better for people.

In his piece, Radcliff points to the five countries topping the report: Denmark, Norway, Switzerland, the Nertherlands and Sweden – countries with a strong social safety net and a high unionization rate.

That’s right: turns out living in a country with strong unions makes you happy.

“Not only are workers who belong to unions happier, but the overall rate of happiness for everyone — members and non-members — increases dramatically as the percentage of workers who belong to unions grows, reflecting the louder political voice that organization gives to ordinary citizens.

All this remains true when controlling for the many other things that might also affect quality of life, such as income, age, gender, marital status, or their country’s culture, history, or level of economic development. Critically, ‘big government’ and labor unions also promote happiness not merely for those toward the bottom or middle of the income distribution, but for everyone, rich and poor, men and women, conservatives and liberals.”

And it’s not like any of these countries topping the charts were spared in the recent global economic crisis.

Even Denmark, who holds the coveted first place, is still reeling from a severe economic crisis. The Agence France-Presse recently reported on how Danes remain happy despite these challenges:

“One of the most important things making the Danes happy is the security in Danish society,” said Meik Wiking, director of the Happiness Research Institute, a Danish think-tank aiming to improve the quality of life in Denmark and abroad.

“There is a high degree of financial security. If we lose our jobs we get support, when we fall ill we can go to the hospital, and so on,” he added.

And it also looks like higher taxes are having no effect on the Danes’ happiness: Denmark has the highest taxes as a percentage of GDP. Sweden comes in at a close second.

So remember all of this information when you get into a debate with that one conservative family member this holiday season! Turns out strong public services are pretty darn important to your happiness! (but we already knew that, right?).

Unions being spoken of in a positive light? It’s rare, trust us… we know!

But last week, we stumbled upon a few great pieces that praised unions. Since we’re rather used to being maligned, we thought we’d share these with you… (you know, for some good news for a change!).

First up, as part of its Wealth Paradox series examining the income divide in Canada, the Globe and Mail’s Greg Keenan pointed to unions as one of the forces against income inequality – and how, unfortunately, the decrease in union membership is a contributing factor to our present income gap. (so, there’s a bit of bad news in here after all – sorry!).

“The drop in unionized jobs ripples throughout the economy – in part because when enough workers are members of unions, their wage and benefit levels set standards that non-unionized companies usually have to meet.”

And though stagnant wages are an issue, upward social mobility is another. While post-secondary education is one way to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, the article does point to unionized jobs as “a ticket to the middle class” for workers without the degree.

South of the border, where the income gap is the widest of any industrialized society, unions were also portrayed in a positive light by someone who’s soon to have a lot of influence on the global economy.

Last week, during her senate confirmation hearing to become chairwoman of the Federal Reserve, Vice-chairwoman Janet Yellen pointed to the decline of unions as one of the contributing factors to income inequality, which she characterized as a “very serious problem” in the United States.

“The head of the Fed is one of the most powerful people on the planet,” said Cenk Uygur, host and co-founder of The Young Turks, a progressive web-based news show.

“You can’t argue that having the head of the Fed saying that we need to strengthen unions and crack down on Wall Street deregulation, that that doesn’t increase the chances that you at least stop the endless separation between the rich and poor,” said power panelist Ben Mankiewicz.

Last but not least, The Simpsons also showcased unions in a positive light last Sunday. In this particular episode, entitled Labor Pains, Lisa Simpson convinces a group of underpaid and exploited cheerleaders to unionize.

“Don’t worry, collective bargaining will enable us to secure concessions,” said Lisa… before opting for rallying chant better tailored to her audience.

“We’re gonna push ‘em back. Push ‘em back. Push ‘em way, way back. All the way to a new contract. Cause union power is a fact!”

Mike LeBlanc, a Simpsons fan and an assistant regional vice-president in the Atlantic region, said the latest episode was particularly topical.

“The Simpsons are just a mirror of what is going on in society,” said LeBlanc. “Maybe people are finally realizing that unions are a good thing.”

LeBlanc said he was happy to see Lisa, the most progressive character on the show, fight unfair labour practices.

“And there was one point in the show that really reminded me of my own experience on the bargaining team,” he added.

In that particular scene, the rich Texan boss says, “fine. I’m gonna give it some thought, then say no in the nicest way possible.”

Spoiler alert! (Seriously! Spoiler alert!)

Luckily for the cheerleaders, they end up winning the fight against their employer and get a wage increase (at the expense of the non-unionized peanut vendors, unfortunately!).

Have you seen some positive stories featuring unions? Why not share them in the comments! Better yet, share them on our Facebook page or Tweet them to us at @my_une.