A survey released on Friday by the country's official statistics agency TurkStat revealed a slight decline in the number of individuals declaring they were happy in 2017. However, an overwhelming 73.4 percent of citizens said they were hopeful for the future, the Life Satisfaction Survey indicates.

In 2016, the number of "happy" individuals was 61.3 percent, and it dropped to 58 percent last year. The highest level of happiness was among senior citizens or those at the age of 65 and above, in contrast to the youth group (ages 18-24) who had the highest happiness level in 2016. The survey shows married females were happier compared to married males. People who did not graduate from any school had a higher level of happiness.

The sources of happiness vary, but for the majority, it is family that makes one happiest. It was followed by other loved ones. Living a healthy life is also a major reason to be happy according to the majority of people. Love, success, money and work follow, respectively.

Turks expressed satisfaction most with public security services, at 74.4 percent, followed by transportation services at 72.3 percent and health services at 71.7 percent.

Some 73.4 percent of individuals said they were hopeful about their own future. Again, women were more hopeful about their future compared to men.