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United States ranks behind such countries as Germany, Uruguay, Canada and Costa Rica. (Photo: Cristian Ramirez/flickr/cc)
American Ranking Plummets in Global Index of 'Personal Freedoms'
Nation's handling of civil liberties, freedom of choice, tolerance of ethnic minorities, and tolerance of immigrants sends it from 9th to 21st place worldwide
Nov 19, 2014
In an age of expanding national security powers, increasing surveillance state, and rolled-back civil liberties protections, Americans' perception of their own personal freedoms is plummeting, according to the annual ranking by the Legatum Institute in London.
In Washington D.C. this week to promote their findings, researchers with the Legatum Institute measure a nation's prosperity on a number of factors including health, safety, education, economy, opportunity, social capital, governance and personal freedoms.
According to the 2014 Index (pdf) released earlier this month, in the measure of personal freedom, the United States has fallen from 9th place in 2010 to 21st worldwide--behind such countries as Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Uruguay and Costa Rica.
The scores are based on 2013 polling data provided by Gallup, which questioned citizens' satisfaction with the nation's handling of civil liberties, freedom of choice, tolerance of ethnic minorities, and tolerance of immigrants.
According to the Legatum researchers, "evidence suggests that the greater the level of freedom in society the greater the satisfaction with life." However, they note that of the types of freedom tested for, "economic freedom is most important for life satisfaction and wellbeing across a range of countries."
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Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
In an age of expanding national security powers, increasing surveillance state, and rolled-back civil liberties protections, Americans' perception of their own personal freedoms is plummeting, according to the annual ranking by the Legatum Institute in London.
In Washington D.C. this week to promote their findings, researchers with the Legatum Institute measure a nation's prosperity on a number of factors including health, safety, education, economy, opportunity, social capital, governance and personal freedoms.
According to the 2014 Index (pdf) released earlier this month, in the measure of personal freedom, the United States has fallen from 9th place in 2010 to 21st worldwide--behind such countries as Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Uruguay and Costa Rica.
The scores are based on 2013 polling data provided by Gallup, which questioned citizens' satisfaction with the nation's handling of civil liberties, freedom of choice, tolerance of ethnic minorities, and tolerance of immigrants.
According to the Legatum researchers, "evidence suggests that the greater the level of freedom in society the greater the satisfaction with life." However, they note that of the types of freedom tested for, "economic freedom is most important for life satisfaction and wellbeing across a range of countries."
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
In an age of expanding national security powers, increasing surveillance state, and rolled-back civil liberties protections, Americans' perception of their own personal freedoms is plummeting, according to the annual ranking by the Legatum Institute in London.
In Washington D.C. this week to promote their findings, researchers with the Legatum Institute measure a nation's prosperity on a number of factors including health, safety, education, economy, opportunity, social capital, governance and personal freedoms.
According to the 2014 Index (pdf) released earlier this month, in the measure of personal freedom, the United States has fallen from 9th place in 2010 to 21st worldwide--behind such countries as Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Uruguay and Costa Rica.
The scores are based on 2013 polling data provided by Gallup, which questioned citizens' satisfaction with the nation's handling of civil liberties, freedom of choice, tolerance of ethnic minorities, and tolerance of immigrants.
According to the Legatum researchers, "evidence suggests that the greater the level of freedom in society the greater the satisfaction with life." However, they note that of the types of freedom tested for, "economic freedom is most important for life satisfaction and wellbeing across a range of countries."
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