Thimphu (Kuensel/ANN) - The GNH index based
on results of the GNH 2010 survey shows that 41 per cent of Bhutanese can be
classified as happy, while 59 per cent are "not-yet happy", according
to an analytical presentation available on the GNH website.
The categorising was determined by a
sufficiency threshold and a happiness threshold. For a person to be considered
happy, sufficiency in at least six of the nine domains of GNH needed to be met.
The sufficiency threshold is how much a person
needs to enjoy sufficiency in a particular domain and to create a happiness
condition. The sufficiency thresholds were set using international (i.e.
millennium development goals, international labour organisation) and national
standards. Normative judgments and participatory meetings with local
communities were also used to set sufficiency thresholds.
Next the happiness threshold is determined by
looking at whether a person enjoys sufficiency in more than 66 per cent, or six
GNH domains. A person who enjoys sufficiency in six or more domains is
considered happy.
About 41 per cent of Bhutanese enjoy
sufficiency in six or more domains, so according to the GNH index, are
considered happy.
Bhutanese have the most sufficiency in health,
then ecology, psychological wellbeing, and community vitality, it was found. In
urban areas, 50 per cent of people are happy, while in rural it is 37 per cent.
The unmarried, and the young are among the happiest people in Bhutan.
Around 59 per cent of Bhutanese did not
fulfill the thresholds of being sufficient in six or more domains and were
classified at "not-yet happy". Of this, 67 per cent are women and 51
per cent are men.
The findings show that on average, the
"not-yet happy" have insufficiency in four domains, with education
being the highest contributor to unhappiness.
Within the education domain there are four
indicators: knowledge, schooling, literacy, and value. More than 50 per cent of
Bhutanese are insufficient in three of four indicators. Bhutanese experience
low levels of knowledge in cultural and historical aspects of the country, and
in health and politics, irrespective of demographic characters. Insufficiency
in literacy and schooling came next, although the presentation points out that
policies are in line for its advancement.
More than 40 per cent of Bhutanese were found
insufficient in two of four indicators of good governance.
By region, in urban areas, the highest insufficiency
is in governance, time use, and culture, while in rural areas, it is living
standards and education.
The findings also shows that even among those
considered happy, there are insufficiencies in knowledge, participation in
festivals, donations, having more than six years of schooling, enjoying
government services, political participation, and believing in the practice of
driglam namzha.
By gender, men are happier than women, and the
highest per centage of happy and "not-yet happy" people are found in
the dzongkhags of Thimphu and Chukha.
Besides measuring and categorising people into
the happy or "not-yet happy" groups, the GNH index, using a formula,
also calculates the real GNH index for 2010, which comes to 0.743. The GNH
index is measured on a scale of 0-1, a higher number being better.
The GNH index is used to understand happiness
by finding how many people are happy and how they are happy. It seeks to
increase happiness by also finding those who are "not-yet happy" and
where there are insufficiencies.
The nine domains of GNH
Living Standard
Health
Education
Time Use
Good Governance
Ecological Diversity and Resilience
Psychological Well-being
Community Vitality
Cultural Diversity and Resilience
Gyalsten K Dorji in Thimphu/Kuensel | Asia
News Network
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