兒童幸福度日本排第６位

Last week the NHK News on-line reported the following:

子どもの幸福度 日本は先進国で６位

12月30日 6時12分

日本の子どもの幸福度は、教育などの分野で高く、先進国３１か国の中で６位という報告書をＵＮＩＣＥＦ＝国連児童基金と日本の研究所がまとめました。

この幸福度は、「教育」や「健康と安全」、「物質的豊かさ」などの５つの分野で、合わせて２０の指標を基に算出したもので、ことしの報告書では日本を含む３１の先進国を分析しています。
それによりますと、総合１位はオランダ、２位がフィンランドとアイスランド、４位がノルウェー、５位がスウェーデンと北欧の国が上位を占め、日本はそれに次ぐ６位となっています。
日本は、国際的な学力調査の結果や学校に通っている割合などの「教育」と、いじめを受けたことがある割合や、肥満児の割合などの「日常生活上のリスク」の２つの分野で１位でした。
一方、子ども１人当たりの部屋の数などの「住居と環境」が１０位、乳児死亡率や予防接種を受けている率などの「健康と安全」は１６位でした。
さらに、こどもの貧困状態を経済や生活環境などから分析した「物質的な豊かさ」は２１位と下位にランクされました。
国立社会保障・人口問題研究所の阿部彩部長は「総合評価は上位だったが、子どもの貧困状態が順位を押し下げている。貧困の問題は、いずれ学力などの別の分野に悪影響を及ぼす可能性があり、解決に向け早期に取り組むことが求められる」と話しています。

(試譯文)

The degree of happiness of Japanese children was high in the fields such as education; Japan was at the 6th place among the 31 advanced nations in the report compiled by the UNICEF: U.N. Children's Fund, together with a Japanese research institute.

The degree of happiness was set in five fields, such as "education", "health, safety", and "material abundance". It was computed based on 20 indexes in total, and in the report this year it analyzed 31 advanced nations including Japan.

According to it, in the 1st place was the Netherlands and the 2nd places were Finland and Iceland, Norway was at the 4th place and Sweden at the 5th place, and thus all the Northern Europe countries occupied the higher ranking. It was followed by Japan which was ranked at 6th.

Japan was at the 1st place in two fields: "education", which was the result of an international academic ability survey and the rate of going to school frequently, and "the risks on everyday life", which was the rate that bullying was received and the percentage of overweight children.

On the other hand, on "the dwelling and environment" such as the rate on the number of the rooms per child Japan had received the 10th place; on "health and safety" such as on the infant death rate and on vaccination, it was at the 16th place.

Furthermore, on "the material affluence" which analyzed the children’s poverty condition due to the economy and living environment etc., it was at a low ranking of 21st place.

The National Institute of Population and Social Security Research Manager Aya Abe was saying that "although comprehensive evaluation was at a higher ranking, children’s poverty condition is at a low ranking. The problem of poverty may have a bad influence on other fields, such as academic ability; and for that a solution to tackle the problem at an early stage is in need".

It is interesting to note that the Northern Europe countries have occupied the higher ranking.