They Say Ireland's the Best

    Ireland is the best place in the world to live for 2005, according to a life quality ranking(排名) that appeared in Britain's Economist magazine last week. The ambitious attempt to compare happiness levels around the world is based on the principle

that wealth is not the only measure of human satisfaction and well-being

    The index of 111 countries uses data on incomes, health, unemployment, climate, political stability, job security, gender(心动) equality as well as what the magazine calls"freedom, family and community life”.

    Despite the bad weather, troubled health service, traffic congestion(拥挤), gender inequality and the high cost of living,

Ireland scored an impressive 8. 33 points out of 10.

    That put it well ahead of second-place Switzerland, which managed 8.07. Zimbabwe troubled by political insecurity and

hunger, is rated the gloomiest(最差的) picking up only 3.89 points

    “Although rising incomes and increased individual choices are highly valued,"the report said, “some of the factors

associated with modernization such as the breakdown in traditional institutions and family values in part take away from a

positive impact."

   “Ireland wins because it successfully combines the most desirable elements of the new with the preservation of certain

warm elements of the old, such as stable family and community life.”

The magazine admitted measuring quality of life is not a straightforward thing to do, and that its findings would have their

critics.

   No.2 on the list is Switzerland. The other nations in the top 10 are Norway, Luxembourg, Sweden. Australia, Iceland, Italy, Denmark and Spain.

   The UK is positioned at No 29, a much lower position chiefly because of the social and family breakdown recorded in official statistics. The US, which has the second highest per capita GDP after Luxembourg, took the 13th place in the survey. China was in the lower half of the league at 60th.