Attempting to create scientific and objective tests to measure national wellbeing may be less effective than just asking people how happy they feel

Since David Cameron announced his intention to measure the country’s happiness in 2010 there has been a flurry of debate about whether happiness is something that can or should be measured. Robert Battison examines the Office of National Statistics’ latest exercise in finding objective measurements for happiness, and suggests that simply asking people whether they are happy or not might be the most accurate measurement around