15.12.2014
Joy rating: 2014
- According to a survey conducted by Rating Group, the majority of respondents (71%) consider themselves happy, including 28% who consider themselves definitely happy. At the same time, 18% consider themselves unhappy, and 11% are undecided. Over the past years, a slight decline in this indicator has been recorded. The highest level was observed in 2011 (74%), while the lowest was in 2010 (67%). Younger respondents, those with higher education and income levels, and those who are employed are more likely to consider themselves happy.
- In response to the question “What brings you the most joy in life?”, 68% of respondents mentioned family, 56% mentioned children, and 44% mentioned friends. Next in the “joy ranking” are money and receiving gifts (25% each), work and watching television (24% each), giving gifts (23%), communicating with nature (20%), music (19%), household chores (18%), and travel and the internet (16% each).
- The next positions in the joy ranking include pets (15%), books and food (14% each), birthdays (13%), sex and cinema (12%), shopping, vacation/holidays, and prayer (church) (11% each). Less common sources of joy include singing and sports (9% each), dancing and solitude (6% each), favorite team victories and studying (5% each), theatre (4%), alcohol (3%), and gambling (2%). Three percent were undecided, and 4% stated that nothing brings them joy.
- Over the past five years, Ukrainians have increasingly reported family, children, friends, receiving and giving gifts, work, music, household activities, and the internet as sources of joy. Shopping, prayer (church), theatre, books, singing, and sports have also become more joyful. At the same time, money, watching television, and vacation/holidays have become less associated with joy.
- The more sources of joy a person has, the happier they tend to feel. However, there are certain things that bring equal joy to both happy and unhappy people, and sometimes even more joy to unhappy people. These were defined as “unhappy joys,” including money, watching television, household chores, food, church, solitude, and alcohol.
- Younger respondents tend to find more joy in friends, money, receiving gifts, music, travel, the internet, birthdays, sex, cinema, shopping, vacation/holidays, sports, dancing, favorite team victories, and studying. With increasing age, people tend to find more joy in watching television, household chores, prayer (church), and singing.
- Men tend to find more joy in friends, money, work, the internet, sex, food, sports, favorite team victories, alcohol, and gambling. Women tend to find more joy in family, children, receiving and giving gifts, household chores, shopping, pets, books, prayer (church), birthdays, singing, and dancing. In the male ranking of joy, sex ranks 12th and shopping 30th, while among women the positions are reversed, with shopping ranked 12th and sex ranked 25th.
- An interesting result was found through grouping types of joy. Factor analysis identified the following types of joy: “material” (gifts, shopping, birthdays, travel), “entertainment” (dancing, singing, theatre, books, music, cinema), “youth-related” (studying, vacation/holidays, friends), “unhappy” (watching television, food, money), “family-related” (family, children), “destructive” (light drugs, gambling, alcohol), “solitude-related” (prayer/church, household chores, nature communication, solitude), and “male-associated” (favorite team victories, sports, work, internet, sex).
Methodology
- Survey population: population of Ukraine aged 18 and over
- Sample size: 2,400 respondents
- Method: face-to-face interviews
- Margin of error (95% confidence):
- near 50%: ≤ 2.2%
- near 30%: ≤ 2%
- near 10%: ≤ 1.3%
- near 5%: ≤ 1%
- Fieldwork period: November 1 – November 9, 2014
