Are Rich Countries More Anxious Than Poor Countries?

Check out this answer from Consensus:

The research indicates that both rich and poor countries experience anxiety, but the sources and nature of this anxiety differ. In rich countries, anxiety may stem from subjective perceptions and historical contexts of wealth and poverty. In contrast, in poorer countries, economic instability and concerns such as inflation are significant contributors to anxiety. Therefore, it is not straightforward to conclude that rich countries are more anxious than poor countries; rather, the nature and sources of anxiety vary between them.

The relationship between wealth and anxiety is a complex and multifaceted topic. This synthesis aims to explore whether rich countries experience higher levels of anxiety compared to poor countries by analyzing insights from multiple research papers.

Key Insights

• Subjective Perceptions of Wealth and Poverty:
  • Both wealth and poverty are not only defined by material resources but also by subjective perceptions and historical contexts. These subjective dimensions contribute to collective and individual anxiety in societies, as seen in China1.
• Economic Concerns and Anxiety:
  • In poorer countries, economic concerns such as inflation are more likely to be a top national concern among the poor compared to the rich. This suggests that economic instability may contribute significantly to anxiety in poorer countries2.

Are rich countries more anxious than poor countries?

Anthony Jorm has answered Uncertain

An expert from University of Melbourne in Psychology, Psychiatry

It is hard to tell.

The World Mental Health Surveys, which involve giving standardized psychiatric interviews to general population samples in a wide range of countries, do find that richer countries have more anxiety disorders than poorer ones. This is a paradox because, within a given country, poorer people are more likely to have an anxiety disorder than richer people.

It is hard to say whether the difference between richer and poorer countries is real or because of cultural differences in the acceptability of reporting anxiety symptoms in surveys and also differences in how anxiety symptoms are described in different languages.

Are rich countries more anxious than poor countries?

Alasdair MacKenzie has answered Uncertain

An expert from University of Aberdeen in Genetics, Mental Health, Cannabis, Anxiety

I would say that anxiety is as much a problem in poorer countries than it is in richer countries. This is also reflected by the propensity to drink excessively in many African countries and in Eastern European countries where alcoholism has increased to being one of the major causes of ill health and premature death in young to middle aged men.