Analytics, EU – Baltic States, Latvia, Society

According to the findings of the SKDS poll, 19% of residents consider themselves to be very happy, and 40% are happy.

On the other hand, 27% feel unhappy, and 10% very unhappy. 4% had no opinion.

Therefore, the average happiness index for Latvia, on a ten-point scale, is 6.84, said Kaktins.

When these figures are compared to those of other countries, Latvia turns out to be one of the unhappiest countries in the world. The happiest ones are Fiji, Colombia, Niger, and Sauid Arabia. In Europe, Finland is the happiest nation.

Based on data available to SKDS, France, Italy, and Greece are unhappier than Latvia.

In Latvia, the unhappiest people are senior citizens, divorcees, widowed residents, as well as people who live alone and have poorer education. According to Kaktins, 56% of people who live alone say they do not feel happy. Also, the better the education, the happier the person is.

Every third resident of Latvia is afraid of loneliness, and 62% feel lonely now and then. Only 33% say that they never feel lonely.

According to the findings of the survey, unhappy people feel that they are not supported by the people around them. Of those who say they feel happy, none said that they are not supported by other people, while 21.5% of those who consider themselves unhappy note that they receive no support from other people.

Loners give their feeling of happiness a mark of 5.92, those who live with somebody else – 6.8, people who live in groups of three – 6.9, and people who live with three or more persons – 7.36. Likewise, people with children tend to be happier than childless people.

The survey concludes that having a family is important for one's happiness, and that people with children and married couples are happier than those who live alone, added Kaktins.