According to a new global survey by Ipsos in India has ranked 9th in the pecking order on Happiness, among 28 nations polled.

Interestingly, markets with the highest prevalence of happiness are largely the developed nations, known for their citizen-centricity ; Australia and Canada tied at the top spot (at 86%) have emerged as the happiest nations of the world, followed by China (83%), Great Britain (82%), France (80%), US (79%), Saudi Arabia (78%) and Germany (78%)– these are the eight markets preceding India – and the survey shows that India is a notch below them (at 77%).

So, which were the markets, lowest on the happiness sweepstakes? Argentina (34%), Spain (46%) and Russia (47%), emerged at the bottom of the heap, among the 28 markets.

Notably, globally, happiness levels have receded in 2019, vis-à-vis 2018. For India too, there’s been a 6 per cent drop (from 83% in 2018 to 77% in 2019).

What makes Indians happy?

Buddha said, ages ago, ‘There is no path to happiness, happiness is the path.’ Interestingly, the Ipsos global happiness survey, demystifies the true determinants of happiness.

The factors voted as most important in triggering happiness were: My living conditions (89%), my health/ physical well-being (88%), my personal safety and security (88%), my friends (87%), feeling in control of my life (86%), feeling my life has meaning (86%), my hobbies/ interests (85%), the well-being of my country (85%), among others.

“For Indians it boils down to comfortable living conditions, robust health, good financial conditions, friends and social circle and to have purpose in life. Hobbies and interests are important too,” says Parijat Chakraborty, Country Service Line Leader, Public Affairs and Corporate Reputation, Ipsos India.

The top global list for happiness, is at slight variance. The top determinants of happiness were: My physical health/ wellbeing (88%), my living conditions (86%), my hobbies/ interests (85%), my personal safety/ security (85%), feeling that my life has meaning (85%), feeling in control of my life (84%), satisfaction with the direction my life is going in (84%), having more money (84%), having more friends (83%), et al.

About the Study

These are the findings of a 28-country Ipsos survey conducted via Ipsos’s Global Advisor online survey platform between May 24th and June 7th, 2019.

The sample consists of 1000+ individuals in each of Australia, Brazil, Canada, China (mainland), France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, and the United States, and 500+ in each of Argentina, Belgium, Chile, Colombia, Hungary, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Sweden and Turkey.

Online surveys can be taken as representative of the general adult population under the age of 75 in Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, and the United States. Online samples in Brazil, Chile, China (mainland), Colombia, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, South Africa and Turkey are more urban, more educated and/or more affluent than the general population and the results should be viewed as reflecting the views of a more “connected” population.

Sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error. The precision of the Ipsos online polls is measured using a Bayesian Credibility Interval. The credibility interval around percentages based on single-month data is of +/- 3.5 percentage points for markets where the monthly sample is 1,000+ and +/-4.8 points for markets where the monthly sample is 500+. Click here for more information on the Ipsos use of credibility intervals.

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 knows or not stated responses.

Prior fieldwork waves were also conducted on Ipsos’s Global Advisor online survey platform. The February 2018 wave was conducted between January 26th and February 9th, 2018 and consisted of 19,428 interviews in 27 countries. The March 2017 wave was conducted between February 17th and March 3rd, 2017 and consisted of 18,523 interviews in 26 countries. The May 2013 wave was conducted between May 7th and May 21st, 2013 and consisted of 18,513 interviews in 25 countries. The December 2011 wave was conducted between December 6th and December 19th, 2011 and consisted of 21,245 interviews in 24 countries.