Rate of happy Turks declines below 50 pct: Data
ANKARA
The percentage of Turkish people aged 18 and over declaring themselves happy dropped from 52.7 percent in 2023 to 49.6 percent last year, marking a 3.1 percent decrease, according to a survey by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK).
According to the data published by the institute on Feb. 17, the proportion of those reporting unhappiness similarly rose from 13.7 percent to 14.5 percent, indicating a slight uptick.
The happiness rate among men fell from 50.3 percent to 46.9 percent. The rate also witnessed a decline among women, as it dropped from 55.1 percent to 52.3.
Almost all of the age groups experienced a decline in happiness – except for the 25-34 age group, which marked a slight increase from 50.7 to 51 percent.
The most significant decline, on the other hand, occurred in the age group comprising individuals aged between 45-54, indicating a 7.1-point drop from 53.6 to 46.5 percent.
The cost of living, at 29.2 percent, emerged as the most pressing issue across the country, followed by education at 15.7 percent and poverty at 14 percent.
Married individuals were happier than those who were unmarried, the study pointed out, as 52.5 percent of married individuals described themselves as happy, compared to 44 percent of unmarried ones. The breakdown by gender showed that married women were happier than married men, with 49.5 percent of married men and 55.4 percent of married women reported being in a delighted state.
When asked about the individuals contributing to their happiness, 72.9 percent of respondents cited their family, followed by children at 13.2 percent, themselves at 4.2 percent, spouses at 3.4 percent, parents at 3 percent and grandchildren at 1.9 percent.
Health was the leading factor contributing to happiness, with 68.3 percent of people identifying it as their top source of joy. Other factors included love at 14.4 percent, success at 8.9 percent, money at 6.4 percent and work at 1.8 percent.
