Happiness in Jakarta Proves Elusive

The Jakarta Globe, Arientha Primanita

Jakarta’s gleaming skyscrapers and bustling malls are hiding a legion of unhappy residents, a researcher said on Tuesday, citing the results of a recently conducted survey.

Andy Agung, a researcher with Yayasan Indonesia Bahagia (Indonesian Happiness Foundation), told the Jakarta Globe that the conclusion was the result of a two-week survey recently conducted by the foundation.

The survey, which queried 500 randomly-selected residents from a wide range of social classes, showed that Jakarta’s “happiness index” stood at 3.61 on a scale of five.

“This is still considered low because an index of three is average while four is happy,” Andy said.

The survey also indicated that happiness was not significantly dependent on age, gender, religion, social background or economic status, he said, adding that the only independent variable affecting happiness was education.

“This means that Jakartans with higher levels of education tend to have higher levels of happiness,” he said.

Therefore, Andy said, the city administration should provide greater access to higher education for residents.

This was the first-ever survey of its kind in the country, Andy said. He said that starting next year, the foundation would conduct similar surveys in other large cities in the country.

“We should not make material possessions and economic well-being the standard for [judging] people’s welfare; happiness should be the standard,” he said.

Andy said happy people were those who lived positive lifestyles and were not unduly burdened by problems. “The surrounding environment and good public services can contribute happiness to one’s life,” he added.

Radhar Panca Dahana, a philosophy lecturer at the University of Indonesia, told the Globe that both external and internal factors affected happiness.

He said external factors involved the surrounding environment such as weather, traffic and politics, all sources of pressure that could affect internal factors.

“People living in Jakarta are always in a hurry. They always feel worried and are highly competitive,” Radhar said.

The government, he said, should ensure that the basic needs of residents, such as food, housing, health and education, were met, so that they could have a sense of security.

“Although poor and not well educated, if their basic needs are met, people will feel happy,” Radhar said.

Cucu Ahmad Kurnia, a city spokesman, said the administration appreciated the survey’s results but that it remained to be seen whether the method used and the results were valid.