Socio-demographic determinants of happiness in Turkey

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between the perception of happiness and socio-demographic characteristics in Turkey using the Life Satisfaction Survey conducted by the Turkish Statistical Institute in 2017. For this purpose, nonlinear canonical correlation analysis was performed on a dataset of 4261 employees. Socio-demographic characteristics evaluated the variable set consisting of both the individual's direct perception happiness and the conceptual/personal sources of happiness. Consistent with the literature, it was seen that socio-demographic variables impacted the levels of happiness in Turkey. The main findings show that marital status has the highest effect on perceived happiness, and married people are happier than the unmarried ones. Age has a negative, educational background has a positive effect. For employment status, it is notable that per diem employees are unhappy. Besides, a detailed perspective to researchers working towards increasing perceived happiness by evaluating the identified sub-groups of working individuals living in Turkey is provided.