Ülkelerin Makroekonomik Göstergeleri İle Mutluluk Düzeyleri Arasındaki İlişki

Bu çalışmanın amacı, ülkelerin makroekonomik göstergeleri ile mutluluk skorları arasındaki ilişkiyi incelemektir. Söz konusu amaçla yapılan çalışmada bağımlı değişken olan mutluluk skoru, Dünya Mutluluk Raporundan edinilmiştir ve raporda yer alan 142 ülke araştırmanın evrenini oluşturmaktadır. Bağımsız değişkenler kişi başına düşen gayri safi yurtiçi hasıla, büyüme oranı, enflasyon, işsizlik ve hükümet harcamasıdır. Bağımsız değişkenlere ilişkin tüm veriler 2017 yılına ait olup, Dünya Bankası veri tabanından alınmıştır. Eviews programı kullanılarak yapılan regresyon analizi neticesinde, kişi başına düşen gayri safi yurtiçi hasılanın ülkelerin mutluluk düzeyi ile pozitif yönlü ve anlamlı derecede ilişkili iken, işsizlik ve enflasyon oranlarının ise bağımlı değişkenle negatif yönde ilişkisinin bulunduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Araştırmada ayrıca hükümet harcamalarının ve ekonomik büyümenin mutluluk seviyeleri ile bağlantılı olmadığı tespit edilmiştir. Bu sonuçların politika yapıcılar için, mutluluk düzeyini etkileyen makroekonomik belirleyicileri ortaya koyması bakımından önemli bilgiler sunması beklenmektedir.

The Relationship Between Macroeconomic Indicators and Happpiness Scores of Countries

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between macroeconomic indicators and happiness scores of countries. In the study conducted for this purpose, happiness score which is the dependent variable was obtained from the World Happiness Report and 142 countries in this report constitute the universe of the research. Independent variables are gross domestic product per capita, growth rate, inflation, unemployment and government expenditures. All data related to independent variables were obtained from the World Bank database in 2017. As a result of the regression analysis using the Eviews program, it was concluded that while the gross domestic product per capita was positively and significantly related to the happiness level of the countries, unemployment and inflation rates were negatively related with it. It also found out that government spending and economic growth were not associated with happiness levels in this research. These results are expected to provide important information for policy makers to reveal macroeconomic determinants that affect the level of happiness.

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