Mumbai: Ipsos Global Happiness Survey that captures life satisfaction across the world shows the majority of global citizens polled are happy (73 per cent) and India was placed fourth in the pecking order, with 84 per cent of the citizens polled claiming to be happy. The top three happiest markets emerging were China (91 per cent), Saudi Arabia (86 per cent) and Netherlands (85 per cent).

Commenting on the findings of the survey, Ipsos India CEO Amit Adarkar said, “Today (20 March) is the International Day of Happiness. India is among the top happiest markets with at least eight in ten urban Indians claiming to be happy. Happiness is a holistic sentiment and not dependent on one happy external event. It runs much deeper, is what the survey is telling us about citizens who are the happiest. India was able to surmount the pandemic with mass vaccination considering we are highly populous; fuel crisis, we were able to negotiate with Russia and the global community, easing the pressure on the citizens. All this is also manifesting into happiness. Because when times were gloomy during the pandemic, happiness levels had dropped to 66 per cent in 2020. We saw a major recovery in 2021. And now in 2023, we once again see further improvement in happiness levels. Happiness infusing list is much longer than one would anticipate.”

The chart above shows shifts in happiness levels by markets.  

Multitude of factors provide life satisfaction & drive happiness - relationships, education, spirituality, being loved and appreciated, social status

Indians credit a plethora of factors for adding satisfaction to life and in turn making them happy. These factors interestingly contribute together as they have all received high scores. The top ranked areas were: my children (86 per cent), relationship with relatives (85 per cent), exercise and physical activity (85 per cent), relationship with partner or spouse (84 per cent),  access to, in touch with nature (84 per cent), level of education, religious faith/ spiritual life (84 per cent), feeling appreciated (84 per cent), looks (83 per cent) access to entertainment/ leisure activities (83 per cent), access to news/ information (82 per cent), co-workers (82 per cent), feeling loved (82 per cent), feeling in control of my life (81 per cent), mental health & wellbeing (81 per cent), material possessions (81 per cent), social status (80 per cent). Notably, China and India are similar as opposed to other global markets, where happiness also hinges on how the country is doing. Satisfaction in life also depends upon the country's economic situation (China 78 per cent, India 78 per cent), and country’s social and political situation (China 83 per cent; India (72 per cent).      

“Indians are happy because of a multitude of collective attributes that bring harmony in relationship, social status, acknowledgement and wellbeing. Personal relationships shared with family and friends, keeping abreast of news and information, sound education, appreciation and love, access to entertainment, being close to nature, spirituality, and vanity (looks), employment, material possessions and even the economic and social health of the country,” added Adarkar.  

For global citizens the biggest contributors in adding satisfaction to life, according to them were: My children (if a parent) (85 per cent), relationship with partner/spouse (if has one) (84 per cent), access to/ in touch with nature (80 per cent), level of education (80 per cent) relationship with relatives (78 per cent),  friends (78 per cent),  access to news/ information (77 per cent), co-workers (if employed) (77 per cent), feeling loved (76 per cent), feeling free to do and say what I want (76 per cent), personal safety and security (75 per cent) access to entertainment/leisure activities (75 per cent) job (if employed) (74 per cent), religious faith or spiritual life (74 per cent) living conditions (74 per cent), amount of free time (74 per cent), Looks (73 per cent), feeling in control of my life (73 per cent), feeling my life has meaning (73 per cent), feeling appreciated (73 per cent).

Challenging experiences can impact happiness

72 per cent of global citizens and 68 per cent of urban Indians said they have one or several close friends they rely on to help them in case of need.  1 in 2 urban Indians (50 per cent) and 39 per cent of global citizens polled also said that they recently experienced a deeply disturbing and distressing event that has prevented them from feeling good about their life. 47 per cent Indians and 37 per cent global citizens also said they recently faced or were facing a difficult personal situation that they could not have resolved by themselves.

Consumer confidence as a measure of happiness

Another key finding from this study is that, at the country-level, levels of happiness tend to reflect levels of consumer sentiment. Ipsos compared the percentage of happy adults and Ipsos’s Consumer Confidence Index across the 22 countries where both were measured in the same survey and found they are highly correlated. The Consumer Confidence Index tracks people’s sentiment about their financial situation, their ability to make purchases and investments, and perceptions of their local economy, job security and future opportunities.

About the Study

These are the findings of a 32-country Ipsos survey conducted 22 December, 2022 to 6 January, 2023, among 22,508 adults aged 18-74 in the United States, Canada, Malaysia, South Africa, and Turkey, 20-74 in Thailand, 21-74 in Indonesia and Singapore, and 16-74 in 24 other countries, via Ipsos’s Global Advisor online survey platform.

Each country’s sample consists of ca. 2,000 individuals in Japan; 1,000 individuals in each of Australia, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland), France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, and the U.S.; and ca. 500 individuals in each of Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

The samples in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the U.S. can be taken as representative of these countries’ general adult population under the age of 75.

The samples in Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, and the UAE are more urban, more educated, and/or more affluent than the general population. The survey results for these markets should be viewed as reflecting the views of the more “connected” segment of their population.

Prior fieldwork waves were also conducted on Ipsos’s Global Advisor online survey platform:

•     19 Nov -  3 Dec, 2021, among 20,504 adults in 30 countries
•     24 Jul - 7 Aug, 2020, among 19,516 adults in 27 countries
•     24 May - 7 Jun, 2019, among 20,327 adults in 28 countries
•     26 Jan  - 9 Feb, 2018, among 19,428 adults in 27 countries
•     17 Feb  - 3 Mar, 2017, among 18,523 adults in 26 countries
•     7 May - 21, 2013, among 18,513 adults in 25 countries
•     6 Dec  - 19, 2011, among 21,245 adults in 24 countries

The data is weighted so that each market’s sample composition best reflects the demographic profile of the adult population according to the most recent census data.

The Global average reflects the average result of all the countries and markets where the survey was conducted that year. It has not been adjusted to the population size of each country or market and is not intended to suggest a total result.

Where results do not sum to 100 or the ‘difference’ appears to be +/-1 more/less than the actual, this may be due to rounding, multiple responses or the exclusion of don't know or not stated responses.

The precision of Ipsos online polls is calculated using a credibility interval with a poll of 1,000 accurate to +/- 3.5 percentage points and of 500 accurate to +/- 5.0 percentage points. For more information on Ipsos’s use of credibility intervals, please visit the Ipsos website.

The publication of these findings abides by local rules and regulations.