How does people's level of happiness depends on country they live

Polina PredybailoHow does people`s level of happiness depend on the country they live?

How Does People`s Level of Happiness Depend on the Country They Live?

What in general makes people's lives happy and prosperous?

 How can these factors create differences in living standards in different countries that affect people's happiness and well-being?

INTRODUCTION

In 2019, the World Happiness Report named Finland the happiest country in the world for the second year in a row. Denmark came in a second place after being on the top in 2013 and 2016 (2020). Could this be related to the living conditions provided to the residents there?

Everyone have their own ideas about happiness and its key determinants. Some would choose wealth as it is indispensable to enjoy a comfortable like with high living conditions. Some would reject this materialistic point of view and would argue that social relationships (family, friends, etc.) are what matters the most. However, people who would defend the idea that, as citizens who benefit from a set of rights while abiding by certain rules, it’s the government and its policies that really determine people`s living conditions and thus their happiness are right. Unfortunately, not all countries provide people with all the necessary conditions for a happy and prosperous life.

Nowadays, happiness is still not completely explored and abstract concept. Scientists conduct various studies in order to define what determines the level of happiness of a person. In fact, good relationships with people and country of residence affects people`s well-being (Mineo, 2017; Sachs et al., 2012). The UN has published a ranking of countries by happiness level every year since 2012 (2020). Unfortunately, there are countries where people less happy in general.

Despite the volume of work on this topic, little attention has been paid to the specific context related to the perception of this topic in Kazakhstan. It is still unclear what attitudes Kazakhstan residents have to measuring the level of happiness and what they think about the living conditions that the state gives them. However, this paper hopes to investigate the opinions of different aged people from Kazakhstan, person who has lived in Kazakhstan and then moved to another country, which has a higher index of happiness and compare standard of living in these countries.

It is significant to consider the standard of living in Kazakhstan, which does not correspond to the basics necessary for a prosperous life. This way government can make index of happiness in Kazakhstan higher by improving these factors.

The best way to collect data for this research work was to address people who has experienced difference in living conditions between countries with different level of the happiness. Therefore, an interview was organized with a person who lived in Kazakhstan, and then moved to Germany. Moreover, a survey was conducted among residents of Kazachstan.

It is believed that these interview and survey will identify the factors necessary for well-being, depending on the country and the government. Respondents will also share their views on how good the various government support they receive is and how it affects the quality of life.

CONTEXT 

Happiness is one of the main criteria necessary for a people's life, so everyone strives to be happy. According to Collins English Dictionary, happiness is a quality or state of being happy (Collins English Dictionary, n.d.) but this is abstract and extensive explanation. Meik Wiking - is the founder and CEO of the Happiness Research Institute and he says, “Happiness is both having a strong sense of purpose in life. It`s also experiencing moments of pleasure on a daily basis. It`s also feeling satisfied with life overall.” (Wiking, 2020). Aristotle coined a term that includes both happiness and well-being. This word is Eudaimonia. One of the main factors affecting overall well-being is the conditions that a person is surrounded by.

People have always been interested in happiness and the secret of a prosperous life. There are various researches on the topic of happiness. Each country has its own laws, rights and responsibilities, which it offers its residents, creating certain conditions for life. For people from other countries who are living under different conditions, some of them may seem strange. For example, the tax rate in Denmark is one of the highest in the world. The average income is about 39,000 euros per year, and about 45% of this amount is usually given by the Danes to taxes. If you earn more than 61,500 euros per year, there is an additional rate for you that increases your taxes to 52% (Wiking, 2017, p.11) Nevertheless, a Gallup survey from 2014 showed that almost nine out of 10 Danish people happily pay their taxes to some or a high degree (Wiking, 2016). For people from Kazakhstan or Russia, this is a large number and people wonder: why is Denmark in the top of the happiest countries in the world? The fact is that by paying such a tax, the Danes know that they will receive various kinds of support from the state, such as a free quality health care for everyone, free education even at the university; moreover, each Danish student receives about $ 900 a month from the state (Wiking, 2016). The point is that the State cares about its citizens, and the problem is that this is not the case in all countries. Furthermore, many people think that in order to be happy, it does not matter what country you live in.

On the one hand, people who claim that it does not matter where you live to be happy are right. Everyone has their own idea of happiness and well-being. For someone it is a lot of money, for someone a big family or a huge house, but absolutely everyone should be surrounded by amazing people to feel that their life is good enough.

The longest study on this topic was conducted by Harvard students and took 80 years. In 1938, during the Great Depression, they recruited people whose lives were subsequently monitored. Among the original recruits were eventual President John F. Kennedy and longtime Washington Post editor Ben Bradlee. Unfortunately, of all the test subjects, only 19 people remained alive, but all of them were over 90 years old. As a result of the research, scientists have found that good relationships with people make life better (Mineo, 2017). Robert Waldinger, an American psychiatrist and Professor at Harvard Medical School says, “Close relationships, more than money or fame, are what keep people happy throughout their lives, the study revealed. Those ties protect people from life’s discontents, help to delay mental and physical decline, and are better predictors of long and happy lives than social class, IQ, or even genes.” (Waldinger, 2017).