Happiness among Iranians: findings from the Iranian Health Perception Survey (IHPS)

Abstract

Objective(s): As part of a study on health perception among Iranian people, the happiness with affected factors was assessed.Methods: This was a population-based study. A random sample of individuals aged between 18 and 65 years were entered into the study. Respondents were asked to rate a 5-point happiness scale indicating their own present happiness status. The data were analyzed descriptively. In addition logistic regression analysis was performed to assess the association between independent variables and happiness.Results: In all 27,883 individuals took part in the study. The mean age of respondents was 32.7 (SD=11.8) years. Overall 39.3% rated their happiness as 'neither much/nor low', 35.4% as 'much" and 3% as "Not at all". The findings showed that in addition to some demographic variables such as employment and income, the self-rated health was the most significant contributing factor to happiness [OR=7.82, 95% CI=5.32-11.48, P<0.0001].Conclusion: The findings suggest that improving daily living conditions might help to improve happiness among the Iranian population.