Don’t know if any of you heard, but a recent Gallup poll placed Venezuela as the 6th country among 124 where people rated their wellbeing. Although I’ve long ago recognized the carefree and low-stress lifestyles that Venezuelans try lead, there appears to be so much political strife that this poll actually shocked me.

In general, Venezuelans take one of two sides of the political spectrum. There are those who are very happy with the current administration and talk about how much better their lives have become since the changes. Others describe the good ol’ days and are devastated by the direction the country has taken. Both groups will not hesitate to tell you how bad crime has gotten; especially in Caracas. In fact, they paint such a bleak picture that you imagine walking into downtown Baghdad. Even with all these negative feelings, 64% of Venezuelans feel that their lives are thriving.

So, have I had the wrong opinion Venezuela this whole time?

Sometimes when the weather is gloomy – which can happen anytime throughout the day – I start to feel like Caracas is a depressing place. Venturing outside of the capitol always feels like shedding the noise, the decaying buildings and shantytowns. Walking around you see a variation of feelings just like in any city. People going about their work day, meeting up with friends or focusing their handheld devices. Crappy weather aside, I think that the atmosphere here can get heavy and maybe that’s why Caraquenos rush off to the beach any chance that they get. But now with the revelation of this poll, I think maybe I’ve let the complaints of both Venezuelans and other expatriates skew my perception…

Now when I walk the streets, I try to view the people going about their day in a different way. if the proof is in the pudding and Venezuelans feel better about their wellbeing than any other country in this hemisphere, I can stand to learn a little something from them.

One of my favorite blogs, Expat Alley, recently posted about the JWT’s list of 100 Things to Watch in 2010. I usually don’t pay attention to such lists, but it was actually pretty interesting. Of the 100, one really grabbed my attention -  Alternative Measures of Prosperity.

Apparently, countries such as France have changed the way they measure the well-being of their inhabitants to better reflect overall happiness. These countries decided that looking at economic indicators do not indicate well-being as well as family relationships and access to health care.

I think that the traditional indices have their places in economic forums and fiscal planning; but, to really determine whether or not people are well, I think the alternative measures are more accurate.  As someone who has chosen alternative places to live, I am actually very excited at the prospect of these indicators being used by more countries.

As more and more countries adopt these measures and make the results public, it will be very interesting how they are ranked. I am sure that the countries people sometimes perceive as “troubled” will rank much better than expected. When people (usually those living in the US) give me funny looks when I talk about the places I’ve chosen to live, I think it has more to do with moving to the unfamiliar – even though they claim that they could never give up their US standard of living. Also, there is the perception that people from all over the world leave their countries to come to the US for a better life. So, why on earth would someone leave? I will tell you my answer at a later date, but I suspect the over 1 million American expatriates have similar reasons.

What do you think about the alternative measurements for prosperity? Do you think it can change the way we view life in other countries?

Photo credits: Dollars! by pfala and The Earth is God’s Canvas. by Catch the dream

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