As another summer winds down along the southern coast of Norway, its residents have reason to smile, and not just because all the seasonal visitors on holiday will soon be leaving. According to a new national survey, residents of Sørlandet are the most content of all Norwegians.
The survey, conducted by Sentio Research for Norway’s public health institute, showed that fully 77 percent of those questioned in the southern counties of Agder and Telemark say they’re satisfied with their lives. Residents of eastern Norway (Østlandet) were nearly as satisfied, with 74 percent declaring themselves so.
“What we learn from this is how people say they are,” cautioned senior researcher Eugene Guribye of research firm Agderforskning. He told radio station P4 that the survey can’t verify whether they really have reason to be satisfied: “So here you can find some cultural dimensions and values and ways of looking at life, more than actual standards of living in a certain area.”
The survey noted degrees of satisfaction in various age groups. Those aged 60 and older were most satisfied, while those under age 30 were least satisfied.
newsinenglish.no staff
