I live in Norway. Our country is often in the top or top five in ratings of this matter.

We are middle class (I guess). I think we have a great life up here. Most people I know in our generation can afford much more than we need. I haven't worked outside my home for 2o years now, due to health issues. You are beeing taken care of economically when sick or disabled. I have a husband, therefore I manage in a good way. If I had to live by my own, paying a high rent, I would not have been able to travel and eat at restaurants, buy clothes whenever I want and all that stuff. But I would have had enough for rent and food and clothes, if managing my money sensibly.

My (sorry; our) oldest son lives in UK, after five year at university here. Living at student loan, lived at a student camp sharing a nice apartment with 3 other guys. Our youngest still staying here in Norway. He and his girlfriend shared a apartment when studying, living mostly on student loans and work when summerholidays. They lived good.

Seems no of them have troubles with living in a good way economically even when paying off at their student loans. I know the situation best here in Norway, from my son, daughter-in-law and their friends. The one big issue is to get a job after highschool/university. When you have gotten income, is seems like the youngsters (from age of 25) manage to buy a home, cars and start their adult life. Even with their student loans to pay for, they afford restaurants, holidays and extras like nice clothes and something to create a nice interior. So it seems to me Norway is a nice and economically safe place to live in.

When it come to children, the parents get paid maternity leave, an amount of free days at home with sick children, kindergarten for your child if you want. I don't know all the facts nowadays, no grandchildren yet.

I think the older people are the ones to loose in our sosiety. Many at my age doesn't look forward to beeing old. In Norway the norm is the old ones living at their own as long as they cope with it. Then going for public care at a retirement home. (Sorry, google translate is a bit not-trusting when it comes to specific phrases.) The issue is that it is very difficult to get old parents at such places nowadays. It often turn out to be a nightmare for everyone involved. Old people who is living in bathrooms at the entirement home, the only place available. But in our prisons every one get single rooms. TV, free study, activities and so on. Our old ones lives often two in a room. Never heard of a prisoner needed to sleep at the bathroom.

Our hospitals are often more than filled up. Patients staying in beds at the corridors. Not safe. But when it works, it works very well. It's been more usual to go for privat care for those who have the money for it, or your workplace give you an insurance for health care. The waiting lists for beeing taken care of at our hospitals are often very long. So workplaces and privat persons pay their ways to privat treatment.

Thats the way I think of living in Norway, beeing a middleclass 60 year female. I don't know very much of politics, just plain generally. Guess there is much information in my opinions that isn't quite up to date. But then, I'm not either. ;-)

But I'm over all happy with my destiny beeing born a Norwegian! :-)