Figures published by the Turkish Statistical Institute shows that the number of happy people declined last year and the happy majority is made up mostly of senior citizens and married peopleFigures from the Life Satisfaction Survey 2014 released by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TÜİK) on Friday indicate that the number of happy people has decreased by some 3 percent since 2013.The survey shows people at the age of 65 and above making up the majority of people declaring their happiness, with 62.8 percent, and married people have a higher rate of happiness than single individuals.The gender-based section of the survey shows that women are generally happier than men, although this group also saw a decline to 60.4 from 61.9 percent.Based on figures from 2013 and 2014, the happiness of the Turkish nation shows a fluctuating trend. It was 59.6 percent in 2003 and peaked at 62.1 in 2011. Since then, it has been gradually declining, with only 59 percent of people feeling happy in 2013.According to the survey, married people are happier, as their percentage is 8.9 percent higher than those who are single and happy at 58.9 percent.For the majority of people surveyed, their families are the factor that make them the most happy, followed by children, spouses and parents.Health is the key to a happy life for 68.8 percent of people, even coming before love, success, money and job in factors making one happy.The survey also looked into the education level of the country's happy people, and found that those who graduated from an institution of higher learning are far happier than those with a lower level of education. However, the survey shows they only managed to surpass those who did not attend school or dropped out.An alarming result of the survey is people's satisfaction level with public services, which has decreased in 2014 compared to previous years. People expressed most satisfaction with the security services. Satisfaction with security confirms an earlier survey by a non-governmental organization that showed people have a profound trust in the police. The survey by the Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation (TESEV) has shown that respondents gave law enforcement forces a 3.89 out of five rating in trustworthiness.After security, people expressed most satisfaction in transportation, health, education, social security and the judicial services.The survey also indicates a drop in the rate of people hoping for a better future from 77 percent in 2013 to 73.8 in 2014.The survey, which was conducted in both urban and rural areas, has been carried out since 2003 via face-to-face interviews with individuals. In the 2014 Life Satisfaction Survey, 7,368 individuals of 18 years of age and over were interviewed.The Life Satisfaction surveys offer an insight into the general mood of the public rather than the ephemeral mood of bliss. Happiness often correlates with the state of the general economy in any given country. The Organization For Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) says Turkey has made progress in improving the quality of life for its citizens, especially in the last decade, but it still has a long way to go. The international body's Better Life index shows the country's income per capita is lower than the OECD average of over $23,000 per year.