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What makes you happy?Thats a question British Prime Minister David Cameron is asking the nation in a survey this year, as part of adriveto improve Britons lives beyond purefinancial gain.As theglobal recessioncontinues, Mr Cameron says he is seeking a bettermeasure of progressthan 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 aslippery subject. It is easier to measure somethingconcretelike a persons income than asubjective, lesstangiblefactor likewellbeing.Is it possible to measure happiness?Critics say the 2m (20m yuan) scheme will not produce any meaningful results. Others suggest it isunwiseto carry out a survey into the nations happiness just as the government launches the biggestpublic spending cutsin decades.Mr Cameron himself admits that it is easy tobrandhis scheme woolly and impractical, but it is not withoutprecedent.Canada has an Index of Wellbeing which looks at how things like money and education affect health and thesense of community. And the Kingdom of Bhutan has used its index of Gross National Happiness (GNH) since the early 1970s as a tool to helppolicy-making.So what kind of answers is he likely to get? While the full survey begins later this year, respondents to aninitial consultationhave already listed their top priorities.Job security, good health and relationships with family members are what matter most to people in the UK, according to the findings. In fact, having a job was listed as more important than being paid a high salary.So perhaps there is truth in theold adagethat money cant buy happiness. An idea David Cameron mayfind solacein as he tries to find a way out of the recession.Glossary 词汇表drive 运动financial gain 钱财增加global recession 全球经济衰退measure of progress 衡量进步的尺度slippery subject 棘手的课题concrete 具体的subjective 主观的tangible 有形的、可触摸的wellbeing 健康、幸福unwise 不明智的public spending cuts 削减公共开支brand 给 加以罪名woolly 像羊毛的、含糊的precedent 前例sense of commu