According to the Turkish Statistical Institute (TurkStat), the results of the 2023 Life Satisfaction Survey indicate a positive trend in the happiness levels of individuals aged 18 and over in Türkiye.
The survey revealed that the rate of individuals declaring themselves as happy increased from 49% in 2022 to 52.7% in 2023. Conversely, the rate of individuals who declared themselves as unhappy decreased from 15.9% in 2022 to 13.7% in 2023.
The survey also highlighted differences in happiness levels based on gender and marital status.
In 2023, the rate of men who declared themselves as happy increased from 46.5% to 50.3%, while for women, this rate increased from 52.7% to 55.1%.
Married individuals were found to be happier than unmarried individuals, with a happiness rate of 56.4% compared to 45.8%, respectively.
The survey also analyzed happiness levels across different age groups. It was found that the happiness rate among individuals aged 18-24 increased significantly from 47.9% in 2022 to 54.0% in 2023. However, there was a decrease in happiness rates among individuals aged 55 and over. The happiness rate for the 55-64 age group decreased by 2.8% compared to the previous year, while for individuals aged 65 and over, it decreased from 57.7% to 56.0%.
Furthermore, when asked about the sources of their happiness, the majority of respondents cited their families as the primary source.
In 2023, 69.9% of respondents stated that their families make them the happiest, followed by their children 15.0%, themselves 5.4%, their spouse 3.8%, their mother/father 2.9% and their grandchildren 1.8%.
When exploring the sources of happiness for individuals, the majority, 69.5% in 2023, cited good health as their primary source of happiness. This was followed by love at 13.2%, success at 9.2%, money at 5.3% and work at 2.6%.
In terms of hopefulness for the future, 67.1% of individuals expressed optimism in 2023. The breakdown between men and women was nearly equal, with 67.2% of men and 67.1% of women reporting feeling hopeful.
To gauge overall life satisfaction, individuals were asked to rate their satisfaction on a scale from "0" for not satisfied at all to "10" for very satisfied. The average life satisfaction score increased from 5.5 in 2022 to 5.7 in 2023. Men reported an average satisfaction level of 5.6, while women reported 5.8.
Regarding satisfaction with public services, the majority were satisfied with public order services at 74.6%, followed by transportation at 68.2%, health services at 65.4%, the Social Security Institution at 61.0%, the Judiciary at 58.6% and educational services at 57.7%.
When asked about the most pressing issue facing the country, unemployment topped the list in 2020 at 18.5%, followed by the cost of living at 17.3% and education at 17.2%. In 2023, the cost of living took the top spot at 33.8%, followed by education at 16.5%, and poverty at 13.4%.
