Happiness factors and life satisfaction of the region's population: sociological aspect

The material proposed continues a series of articles devoted to the problems of subjective quality of life. This article discusses in more detail the factors contributing to the experience of happiness by Vologda Oblast population. The informational base of the research is a survey of the population of the Vologda Oblast carried out by ISEDT RAS on a representative regional sample in 2015. In determining the level of happiness we used the methodology developed by VTsIOM, the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire, Subjective Happiness Scale developed by S. Lyubomirsky and H. Lepper in the interpretation of D.A. Leontiev. Among socio-demographic indicators, age-related characteristics show a closer association with the level of happiness (the level of happiness of inhabitants of the Vologda Oblast decreases with age), presence of family (the level of happiness increases with marriage and cohabitation with the spouse, and with the increasing number of children). Happy people are 2.5 times more likely to say they are satisfied with the state of their own health and that of their loved ones. They often feel cheerful and energetic, they complain less about poor sleep. There is also a negative relationship between subjective measures of happiness and anxiety, neurosis, depression. Happy people have more positive attitude toward themselves and the world around them: they feel attractive, confident, they are comfortable in the world. Drivers of material well-being has a strong influence on the feeling of happiness, but the dependence is not linear: after a proportional increase to the level of per capita income to 21 thousand rubles the level of happiness of the population of the region reduces. Subjective assessment of their financial situation by the population confirms this fact: happy people are much less likely to identify themselves with “poor” and “extremely poor”, they are less concerned about economic problems, have higher purchasing power of income. It is important to have an activity in order to experience happiness. Among working people there are up to six times more happy ones. Continued employment after retirement has a positive effect on subjective well-being: among working pensioners there are 10 times more happy people than among the unemployed ones.