ANKARA
Fewer Turkish people were happy last year, according to the Turkish Statistical Institute’s “Life Satisfaction Survey 2014” published Friday.
The number of people in Turkey who said they were "happy" in 2014 fell to 56.3 percent in 2014 from 59 percent in 2013.
While 10.8 percent said they were unhappy in 2013, the percentage increased to 11.7 percent in 2014.
Happiness varies across age groups. While 62.8 percent of individuals in the 65 and over age group are happy, the figure falls to 51.5 percent among the age group between 45 to 54.
Women happier than men
The percentage of happy women exceeds that of happy men. The percentage of happiness is 60.4 percent in women, down from 61.9 percent from 2013, while it is 52 percent in men, a decrease of 4.1 percentage points compared with 2013.
The ratio of individuals hopeful about the future is 73.8 percent of all those surveyed.
The number of happy people among educated participants is higher than that of people with a lower level of education. The level of happiness is 54.8 percent for primary-school graduates but is 60.2 percent among higher education graduates.
Married individuals were happier than singles; some 58.9 percent of married individuals are happy, versus 50 percent of singles who are happy.
Some 68.8 percent individuals said health was the foremost source of happiness. Love was the main thing for 15.4 percent of those surveyed.
Some 73.3 percent of individuals said the people who made them the happiest were their own families.
The overall satisfaction level of individuals with public services decreased compared with 2013’s results.
The highest satisfaction level was seen with the public security services at 75.1 percent. It was followed by transportation services at 71.8 percent, health at 71.2 percent, education at 65.6 percent, social security services at 58.4 percent and judicial services at 50.8 percent.
The survey, which was conducted in both urban and rural areas, is carried out since 2003 via face-to-face interviews with individuals.
The 2014 Life Satisfaction Survey was carried out with 7,368 individuals of 18 years of age and over.
