Özet:

Happiness economics is a sub-branch of behavioral economics. In studies of happiness economics, many other variables than objective economic variables are also effective in measuring the life satisfaction of a country and/or an individual. The present paper discusses the happiness sub-branch, which occupies an important place in behavioral economics. In Turkey, no mesolevel questionnaire-based studies have ever been conducted on happiness economics. The present paper is different from other studies in that it is the first study to be conducted at regional level. The aim of the study is to examine the effects of social, demographic and other economic variables, specifically income, on happiness. We used a questionnaire method to examine the relationship between economic parameters and happiness and to investigate the effects of other primary variables on happiness. The obtained data was tested by the sequential probit model. The results show that individuals’ good conditions of health, presence of religion in their lives, positive thoughts about the financial situation for the next year and trust in the President have positive effects on their perception of happiness while trust in the government and army have negative effects.

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