- Title
- Happiness levels in South Africa
- Creator
- Georgiou, Michael
- Subject
- Happiness -- South Africa
- Subject
- Well-being Social capital (Sociology)
- Date Issued
- 2018
- Date
- 2018
- Type
- Thesis
- Type
- Masters
- Type
- MBA
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/10948/30161
- Identifier
- vital:30849
- Description
- One of the fundamental aspects of human life is the attempt to achieve happiness. Traditionally, happiness has been expressed within two specific spheres of understanding, these being the hedonic view and the eudemonic view. The former is the pursuit of wellbeing through pleasure, enjoyment and comfort, whereas the latter focuses on the pursuit of personal development, developing the best in oneself and keeping in line with one’s highest held principles. Such examples may include acting to the best of one’s abilities, expressing kindness, gratitude and the fulfilment of one’s potential. The philosophical tradition has now been incorporated into contemporary psychology for the development of the science of wellbeing. Recently, the term Happiness or what was commonly referred to as subjective well-being, has surged into the spotlight of positive psychology researchers worldwide, as it has shown to influence individuals and thereby organisations and society as well. There is evidence that indicates that an increase or decrease in individual happiness can have a positive influence on the lives of individuals, the way society operates and how economic structures perform. Many countries therefore are beginning to look at the measurement of happiness in an attempt to capitalise on the advantages this brings to their societies, economic activity and performance, and the improvement in the quality of the lives of its citizens. These countries are attempting to include the elements required to increase subjective well-being within the economic policies of the countries. This study aims at evaluating the Happiness Levels of South Africans and also aims at providing a basis for the current levels of happiness in the country, identify challenges that need to be addressed, and to provide a platform for further research where required. The primary data was collected through an online questionnaire, utilising the QuestionPro system supplied by the University. There were 840 valid respondents who completed the questionnaire in full. The questionnaire was developed utilising the happiness literature and previous questionnaires that have been developed in similar studies. A proposed conceptual model was developed and then tested utilising exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. A new model was iv developed which can be used to determine the happiness levels of South Africans. The study concluded with recommendations that governments, leaders, organisations and individuals in society can implement to increase the overall happiness of South Africans and to move the country forward in a positive and meaningful way so that we can all enjoy higher levels of happiness, prosperity and social capital. The results of this study further indicate that South Africans are generally happy and that optimism, workplace networks and work-life balance are important to their happiness. South African citizens generally have little faith in the government, the South African court system, the police services and the South African education system.
- Format
- xvi, 165 leaves
- Format
- Publisher
- Nelson Mandela University
- Publisher
- Faculty of Business and Economics Sciences
- Language
- English
- Rights
- Nelson Mandela University
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| Thumbnail | File | Description | Size | Format | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| View Details Download | SOURCE1 | Happiness Levels in South Africa - Final - December 2018.pdf | 7 MB | Adobe Acrobat PDF | View Details Download |