[BullettuPaandi]

Originally Posted by V.Narayan

Both surveys are hogwash in my opinion.

This is the boring way to do it, as I mentioned earlier, asking people directly 'how happy you are', 'what makes you happy', etc.

I think the sample size is larger on the earlier one: 500-1000 per country, depending on their size and there were 147 countries in total. Even assuming a mere 500/country, the sample size would be about three times larger at 73.5k. On top of this, the data was also a three-year average. The data was also represented with 95% confidence interval- the black bracket line representing how confident they are about the result, which will be larger for countries with lower sample size. Whatever discrepancy there can be, it is already represented.

This report on the other hand, has interviewed a lot more Indians and Japanese than others- 2200 & 2000 versus 500-1000 on other countries. They mention weighing the data to each countries' demographic profile (age groups comprising the population), when they themselves report little-to-no difference in result depending on age: 69-75%. But no mention of weighing the data or certainty on result, depending on the individual sample sizes, where there's clearly a significant difference. Apparently, there was also an 'I don't know' option to these questions, which is not even included; so we don't really even know the actual sample size.

It wouldn't be an opinion to say that one of these reports is better done that the other.

Link to the Report: [LINK]

[locusjag]

It is a misnomer to call the survey participants' target state of mind as happiness or sadness or whatever. The purport of these surveys is to paint a picture of how good or horrible a country is and this there is this political spin on it - what's the country's governance like, its economic profile, etc.

What is happiness anyway? You don't get it by pursuing it - you only get misery instead. This is what Sri Krishna, the Buddha etc. have taught us. You need to have a purpose in life to stumble upon happiness, which you may not have despite billions of dollars in your bank account.

These surveys are really about the living conditions in countries - do people get roti, kapda, makaan, meaningful relationships with partners etc. If any of these do not happen in a person's life, you will see abject living conditions and social unrest.