The Scots may be Brave but They are Neither Healthy nor Happy (Discussion Paper No. 1909)

On almost all measures of physical health, Scots fare worse than residents of any other region of the United Kingdom & often worse than the rest of Europe. The suicide rate in Scotland is significantly higher than that of many other English-speaking countries & higher than the Scandinavian countries, excepting Finland. This result is particularly driven by outomes in Strathclyde & is consistent with the high scores for other measures of social deprivation in this area. Social capital indicators for the Strathclyde area are also relatively low. It is argued these health & social problems need to be directly targeted as they seem unlikely to be fixed by more indirect policies aimed at increasing economic growth. (34 refs.)