Evaluation of life satisfaction in Turkey in the scope of socioeconomic factors

Happiness is an expression of being satisfied with the life lived. Concepts such as life satisfaction, happiness and well-being have always been on the agenda of humanity throughout history. So much so that happiness was initially considered as a philosophical issue, and it was dealt with in its psychological dimension. Over time, it has also become a research topic in the field of sociology, and it has been the main goal that individuals and nations want to achieve. In the studies carried out at the beginning, happiness in general was evaluated as the welfare achieved through material wealth; It was measured by economic indicators such as national product and per capita income. Measures such as material wealth and having good economic indicators have been decisive in comparing welfare between countries. The economic situation, which is important for meeting the basic needs of individuals and maintaining their lives at a minimum level, has started to become insufficient with the development of living standards. Therefore, well-being is described as a positive state obtained when life satisfaction is evaluated with all aspects of life. So economic, social, personal etc. it has become important to identify the determinants of life satisfaction, which is shaped by many factors. In our study, in the context of the evaluation of the factors affecting life satisfaction, what are the criteria for the evaluation of life satisfaction in international studies, both the international position of our country in the field of life satisfaction and the results of the research conducted at the country level are included. In this context, the aim of the study is to determine the socioeconomic factors that determine life satisfaction In the study, TÜİK's 2020 Life Satisfaction Survey micro data set was used, and the relationship between selected socioeconomic indicators and life satisfaction was examined with Pearson Chi-square analysis. Gender, age group, employment status, public or private sector status, satisfaction with the job, expectation of economic situation, ability to save, hope for the future, social rights, freedoms and the expectation that there will be an improvement in the provision of public services. It was concluded that there is a significant relationship with satisfaction. It has also been determined that the state of being unemployed, feeling pressure due to household income, gender and marital status have an effect on life satisfaction.