In our age of “faster, cheaper and better,” many Canadians
are feeling the stress to perform with greater efficiency and to
work longer hours. But are they happier?
In 2003, a General Social Survey of 25,000 people conducted by
Stats Canada measured happiness in dollar amounts. Called “social
capital,” results were measured with dollar equivalents to
show how a person’s happiness, trust, or skill level measure
up on a financial scale.
Yardstick for Happiness
The 2003 survey by Stats Canada is a landmark survey because it
is the first of its kind to measure happiness. Approximately
25,000 people surveyed were asked to rate their happiness at
home and at work. Eight variables were included in the testing:
demographics (age and marital status); health and education;
income and unemployment; religion (belief and participation);
social capital (family, friends and community); trust (general
and specific); ethnicity, migration and discrimination; and workplace
social capital.
John Helliwell, author of Globalization and Well-Being and a former
professor of Economics at the University of British Columbia, analyzed
the results.
According to Helliwell, there are 5 factors in the workplace that
demonstrate the effect each quality could have on happiness. Each
factor was assigned with a dollar value:
•
Trust- equal to a rise in income to $115,000
•
Variety of tasks- equal to a rise in income of $90,000
•
Skills- equal to a rise to $60,000
•
A workplace void of conflicts- equal to a rise of $42,000
•
Time enough to do work assigned- equal to rise of $30,000
The Value of Happiness
According to the results, being content with one’s work environment
has a direct relationship to well-being and income.
As Helliwell points out, “Ranking your workplace one point
higher on a scale of 10 for general job satisfaction raises your
well-being by 0.175 on a 10-point scale. That is equivalent to
an income increase of about $30,000 per year."
Generally, Canadians feel that having a big income does not automatically
equate to happiness. The results showed that the range of happiness
associated with income begins at zero for making less than $25,000,
but only rises to 0.6 for incomes in over $120,000.
This is the first survey of its kind in Canada and will hopefully
open the door for more. The value of happiness is clear: Canadians
want to feel at ease in their work environment and do not necessarily
believe that money can earn happiness. In a world that values material
wealth, this is inspiring.
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