The analysis of unemployment, happiness and demographic factors using log-linear models

Abstract

Unemployment is an important economical concept indicating the economic development of countries. In addition, unemployment is studied quite frequently in a sociological context since it also affects the level of welfare, quality of life and psychological tendencies of individuals living in a country. In this study, unemployment was examined not as a macroeconomic variable but with micro data acquired from the household surveys carried out by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). Based on 2015 data, the demographic factors with impact on the employment status of people in Turkey were studied in addition to examining whether or not they are related with the happiness of individuals. Non-parametric tests were preferred since the analysed variables had a categorical structure. Log-linear models from among the advanced contingency tables analysis methods were used for examining the more than two way relationships of variables. It was determined as a result of the analyses carried out that the employment is related with happiness and gender and that there is a statistically significant difference between happiness and gender.