Although there are many reasons for Europeans to feel gloomy at present—from a migration crisis stretching from Greece to Germany to the possibility that Britain may leave the European Union. According to recent research, many Europeans seem to have become ever cheerier. Ruut Veenhoven, a professor at Erasmus School of Economics and a researcher at Erasmus Happiness Research Organization opinion was asked about this matter by the Economist.
Most Europeans are, on average, at their happiest since the financial crisis. In 2008 76% of EU citizens said they were satisfied with their lives. That number is now 80%, according to the Eurobarometer survey, which has tracked self-reported happiness for over four decades. Those in northern European countries, such as Denmark and Sweden, are consistently the most content. But some countries have bucked the trend. According to Ruut Veenhoven, a professor at Erasmus University in Rotterdam who has been analyzing data on happiness for decades, people in Greece and Portugal have become gloomier over the past three decades (although they have started to perk up over the past few years).
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Please see below for the full article on the website of The Economist, d.d. 27 February 2016.