Do PISA Scores Relate to Happiness?

The Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests the skills and knowledge of 15-year old students across the world in the key subjects of reading, writing, and math. Student achievement on PISA tests is believed to be a solid indicator of a nation's economic health. However, it is now believed that economic prosperity is not the sole measure of the happiness and well-being of a nation. Therefore, since 2012, the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network measures the well-being of people using seven key metrics. The objective of this paper is to investigate how PISA scores relate to these metrics of happiness. To examine this relationship, countries which administered PISA tests are first clustered into two groups, namely, High-Achieving and Under-Performing based on their average PISA scores. Subsequently, the average happiness metrics are compared across these two clusters for statistical significance using the t-test. It was found that metrics such as GDP and health differ significantly across the two clusters. However, human-centric, progressive metrics, especially freedom and generosity do not differ significantly across the two clusters. Therefore, although PISA scores do translate into economic prosperity and better health, they do not necessarily lead to more equitable and kinder societies.