A、Its results will disappoint many people. B、It is hard to be carried out and hasn’t been done before. C、It will cost ￡ 20 milli

What makes you happy? That’s a question British Prime Minister is asking the nation in a survey, as part of a drive to improve Britons’ lives beyond pure financial gain. As the global recession continues, the Prime Minster is seeking a better measure of progress than GDP alone. He claims economic studies often focus too much on standard of life rather than quality of life. The problem is that assessing happiness is a difficult subject. It is easier to measure something concrete like a person’s income than a subjective, less tangible factor like well-being. Is it possible to measure happiness? Some critics say the ￡2 million scheme will not produce any meaningful results. Others suggest it is unwise to carry out a survey into the nation’s happiness just as the government launches the biggest public spending cuts in decades. The Prime Minster himself admits that it is easy to brand his scheme woolly and impractical, but it is not without precedent. So what kind of answers is he likely to get? While the full survey begins, respondents to an initial consultation have already listed their top priorities. Job security, good health and relationships with family members are what matters most to people in the UK, according to the findings. And having a job was listed as more important than being paid a high salary. So perhaps there is truth in the old saying “Money can’t buy happiness,” an idea the Prime Minster may find solace in as he tries to find a way out of the recession.
23. Why is happiness hard to be measured?
24. What do the critics think of the survey about happiness?
25. What do we know about the results of the survey?