Society refers to a group of people bound together by common interests, objectives, or values. - Kassel city residents experience the most happiness.
In Kassel, it's reported that people living in this German city are the happiest of all the big cities. This city in north Hesse ranks number one in a ranking of more than 40 cities with over 200,000 inhabitants, as revealed in the "Happiness Atlas" created by the South German Lottery. Coming in second are Erfurt and Aachen, while Rostock, Karlsruhe, and Wiesbaden are at the bottom.
The ranking was conducted by the Institute for Public Opinion Research in Allensbach, who surveyed a total of 25,557 residents from January 2021 to April 2024. Since every city was surveyed for an equal amount of time, any effect of the Coronavirus pandemic can be ruled out. The evaluation ran on how respondents felt about their own quality of life, rather than relying on objective factors like income, infrastructure, or green spaces.
Compare this happiness index to the subjective indicators chosen by the researchers, and you'll see that people in the top-ranking cities believe they're happier than one might expect based on the measurable criteria. "The cities in the happiness top spots are mostly modest, tranquil towns with a cozy atmosphere, usually a university town, filled with green spaces, and boasting good air quality," said survey head Bernd Raffelhüschen from the University of Freiburg. "None of these cities are particularly wealthy, but their quality of life indicators are just slightly higher than average."
On the other hand, cities that appear to be happy-making according to the "Happiness Atlas" objective criteria, like Munich, Freiburg im Breisgau, and Karlsruhe, occupy middle to poor positions in the rankings.
Factors with the greatest effect on life satisfaction? Family and education policies were found to be most significant, followed closely by healthcare, purchasing power, and environmental quality. A higher GDP, more cultural and leisure activities, or better transport infrastructure were found to have a weaker influence.
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Source: www.stern.de
