The happiness meter can be measured with various perimeters like family, income, government and social life.
In the World Happiness Report, the rankings use data that come from the Gallup World Poll (for more information see the Gallup World Poll methodology). The rankings are based on answers to the main life evaluation question asked in the poll. This is called the Cantril ladder: it asks respondents to think of a ladder, with the best possible life for them being a 10, and the worst possible life being a 0. They are then asked to rate their own current lives on that 0 to 10 scale. The rankings are from nationally representative samples, for the years 2016-2018. They are based entirely on the survey scores, using the Gallup weights to make the estimates representative. The sub-bars show the estimated extent to which each of six factors – levels of GDP, life expectancy, generosity, social support, freedom, and corruption – contribute to making life evaluations higher in each country than they are in Dystopia, a hypothetical country that has values equal to the world’s lowest national averages for each of the six factors.
In a relative manner, the latest survey done in the Philippines revealed that nearly half of Filipinos are “very happy” with life. This is based on a survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) for the first quarter of 2019.
Respondents were asked the question: “If you were to consider your life, in general, these days, how happy or unhappy would you say you are on the whole?” To which a total of 44 percent said they are “very happy”, 49 percent answered “fairly happy”, 7 percent are “not very happy”, while 1 percent answered “not at all happy.”
Compared tp the previous quarter, SWS revealed that there is a five-point increase in Filipinos who are “very happy” with life compared to the 39 percent three months prior. SWS attributed this rise to the increases of points in almost all parts of the Philippines — 14 points up in Metro Manila, 12 in the Visayas, seven in Mindanao, combined with a one-point decline in Balance Luzon. The proportion of ‘very happy’ was highest in Mindanao at 58 percent (up from 51 percent in December 2018), followed by the Visayas at 57 percent (up from 45 percent), Metro Manila at 43 percent (up from 29 percent), and Balance Luzon at 32 percent (down from 33 percent), according to the survey.
Generally, happiness rankings are based on surveys that ask questions on what most academics in the field call subjective well-being. The distinctive characteristic of subjective well-being is that it is based on how people evaluate their lives from their own perspectives. Subjective well-being is generally related to both temporary moods, as well as broader perspectives on quality of life. Two types of measures are commonly used to capture these aspects.
The yardsticks and interpretation may vary depending on expert’s opinion. However, if we simplify things, the Filipinos’ happiness can be interpreted in life satisfaction–a satisfaction generated from personal life perceptions and experience from the family, the community and government.
