engleski

EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS OF HAPPINESS IN SLOVENIA

Economic development is measured by GDP, a concept with many shortfalls. Therefore numerous alternatives were suggested in the literature, including the concept of happiness. Economic analysis of happiness emerged in 1970s, when Easterlin (1974) showed that money does not make people happier (the so-called Easterlin paradox). Individual's happiness depends on a mix of economic, social and personal factors (Frey and Stutzer, 2002). Happiness is an attractive yet problematic approach to measuring well-being. The problems of measurement subjectivity and data collection (survey methodology, cost) have so far successfully prevented its wider application. Frey-Stutzer (2002) typology was used to develop a questionnaire for empirical analysis of happiness in Slovenia. Data was collected in the spring 2011. The article analyzes: (1) how happy are Slovenians, (2) which determinants of happiness are most important to them and how, and (3) how Slovenians strive to change their pattern of happiness. The results show that on average Slovenians are rather unhappy (6.47 on a scale 1 to 10), while their happiness depends primarily on health (99% of respondents), personal freedom (98.1%), trust (97%), love (96.9%) and family (95%). The article’s main contributions are: (1) development of methodology and database, previously non-existant for Slovenia, (2) analysis of current situation in Slovenia, (3) development of foundation for further research.

determinants of happiness; empirical analysis; Slovenia

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