Happy and disgruntled

How satisfied are Hungarians? What makes them happy? These questions have been answered by Krzysztof Zagorski, general director of the Warsaw Public Opinion Research Institute. He was the only presenter from Eastern Europe at the Berlin Esomar conference. People are far more satisfied with their personal situation than with the condition their countries are in. The difference is so great that they can be called happy and disgruntled at the same time. The purpose of the survey conducted in Hungary, Poland, The Ukraine and Georgia was to answer questions like: What makes us happy? Does material gain reduce stress? Does stress make us unhappy? The factors determining satisfaction have been found to be the same in all countries. People are least satisfied with their income everywhere, while they are most satisfied with their family life. Overall, Poles and Hungarians are more satisfied than Ukrainians and Georgians, but only in the lower income categories. In higher income groups, there are more satisfied people in the two ex-Soviet states. Results confirm the theory that material gain is more important for people who start out with less. Reduction in stress is proportionate to the growth in income but only up to a certain point. Beyond this point, more income means more stress again. It was also pointed out the relative degree of satisfaction had been found to be the lowest in Hungary, thought this country is the most affluent of the four. Tárki Társadalomkutatási Zrt. has been the Hungarian partner of the Polish institute in the research project.