TALLINN - Estonians are more concerned about purchasing luxury cars and buying property than about improving their society or health, according to a report into the state of the nation. The Estonian Human Development Report 2006 found that the nation's rapid economic development has not been accompanied by improved social factors, such as health and well-being.
Rather, an ever-widening gap between rich and poor is developing, with little attention being paid to the dwindling human and social capital.
The report was written by twenty academics from various universities and research institutes, who compiled statistics from a wide range of international and local reports and rankings.
"Estonia happens to be a nation of quite good standing in many respects, but in other areas it is the worst in the EU," the report's editor in chief Professor Mati Heidmets said.
"The main problem is that the political elite haven't paid enough attention to the social areas. Their main discussion is about money, but the questions of life expectancy and HIV rates go unanswered."
Heidmets said many Estonians were more interested in buying new cars and investing in property than in their own health or the well-being of others.
But even though many Estonians were proud of the pace of the national economy, concerns remained about the real impact of fast growth.
"If we measure our wealth based on GDP per capita, Estonia ranks among the last third of the list of the wealthiest European Union countries. Neither are we the most successful among the countries that joined the EU in 2004. Despite the fact that Estonia's economic freedom and competitiveness are good in the EU context, achieving real wealth will still take time," said Heidmets.
According to the report, Estonia's society was weaker when compared to other EU nations. Many residents still suffered from poor health, a fact most evident in the average life expectancy of males. Estonia also suffered the largest percentage of people infected with HIV in the EU, and the biggest discrepancy of wages between men and women.
While people were generally satisfied with life, many were unhappy with the increasing stratification in Estonian society, with a large number of underprivileged people and a small number of wealthy people, the report's authors said.
The report called for a "meaningful dialogue within society, concentrating on the choices and prospects related to Estonia's development."
The report was presented by the Public Understanding Foundation, a non-profit group that lobbies for change on social issues such as health and education.
Similar human development reports were previously produced by government bodies, but were stopped in 2004 due to a lack of funding.
The Public Understanding Foundation said it would endeavour to produce another report next year, and will begin compiling data in spring.
