Nanny State Index
Nanny State Index
May 2017
The EPICENTER Nanny State Index is the only comprehensive league table of lifestyle regulations. The latest data suggest that the EU is becoming a worse place to eat, drink, vape and smoke because of overregulation.
In the last year, most EU countries have become more meddling and less free. All but six EU countries scored worse in the 2017 Nanny State Index (NSI) compared with last year’s index.
Finland, the UK, and Ireland are the worst countries when it comes to regulation of alcohol, soft drinks, food, e-cigarettes and tobacco, whereas the Czech Republic and Germany are the most liberal EU member states.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, paternalistic lifestyle policies create a number of problems and costs, while often failing to achieve their stated goal of making the public healthier.
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