Society At A Glance 2009
Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
132 pages
The Gist:
If you’re looking for another reason to hate on France, you might check out the latest report from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. According to the Paris-based group, the French spend twice as much time enjoying meals each day than most Americans, and get nearly an hour’s more sleep each night than most Japanese . The study, which is based on government data and Gallup polls from 18 of the OECD’s member countries, includes a broad spectrum of “social indicators” — from education spending and fertility rates to adult height and “life satisfaction” — to determine how the different societies stack up.
Highlight Reel:
1. On Eating, Sleeping and Leisure: “Americans spend around an hour and a quarter eating every day, slightly more than only Canadians and Mexicans but less than half the eating time spent by the French. Despite this limited time spent eating, their obesity rates are the highest in the OECD.”
