Indonesia's Happiness Index Increases During The COVID-19 Pandemic: Epidemiologists Tell Lies, The Central Statistics Agency Has An Explanation

During the COVID-19 pandemic, families have more time to be together. (Photo: Unsplash)

JAKARTA - The COVID-19 pandemic has been going on for two years, but the World Happiness Index report at the end of 2021 shows that emotional changes during COVID-19 began to occur. When the beginning of COVID-19 took place, it did bring fear and anxiety, a sense of loneliness, and alienation from the community. But the annual report on happiness index numbers around the world that is released shows that the pandemic has not dampened the spirits of the world's citizens.

Jeffrey Sachs, an economist at Columbia University, New York, USA who is one of the authors of the report, explained that the 2021 World Happiness Index Report shows emotional changes are starting to occur. The level of satisfaction of the world's citizens with life in the long term is not too affected.

"What we've found is that when people look at the long-term scale, they've shown a lot of resilience in the last two years," he said.

Two health workers take a short break while waiting for patients in the COVID-19 isolation room at Dadi Keluarga General Hospital, Ciamis Regency, West Java, June 14, 2021. (Photo: Antara)

In this report, Finland is in the top spot with the title of the happiest country, this is the fourth time in a row that it is in that position. Next up are Denmark, Switzerland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Austria.

The government's policy in controlling the transmission of COVID-19 is considered to have contributed to the Finnish people's trust in their government. This is also seen in several Asian countries. China's ranking, for example, is at 84th or better than the previous year's ranking. Last year, China's position was ranked 94th. Meanwhile, Indonesia in the latest index is ranked 92nd.

Over the past two years, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit people's well-being. The decline in the quality of public health and economy has a broad impact on various aspects of life. However, in the midst of these limitations, the 2021 Indonesia Happiness Index has actually increased compared to before the pandemic.

Indonesian Happiness Index

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) towards the end of 2021 also launched the 2021 Indonesian Happiness Index (IKI). As a result, people's happiness reached a value of 71.49 or an increase compared to the similar index in 2017 of 70.69 percent.

The IKI was obtained through the 2021 Happiness Level Measurement Survey (SPKT) conducted on 75,000 households in 34 provinces on 1 July-27 August 2021. The data was collected by interviewing the head of the household or their spouse with questions covering 19 indicators and divided into three dimensions. .

The news regarding the release of the Happiness Index by the BPS has been widely discussed in online media. This was highlighted by some who doubted the measurement methods used, even claiming that statistics could be used to lie.

City parks are one of the triggers for residents' happiness in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo: ANTARA)

One of the highlights is epidemiologist Pandu Riono.

Pandu Riono through his Twitter account, @drpriono1, commented on the happiness index released by BPS. He said the statistics on the happiness index could be used to lie.

"Statistics can also be used to lie. Happiness is a complex condition, it is said to increase in Indonesia which is only 0.8 points, in a pandemic situation. There is a big problem in measurement," measurement bias. There is an interpretation problem. We need to be skeptical. @bps_statistics," he tweeted.

Through a thread, BPS then responded to Pandu Riono through his official account @bps_statistics. The BPS also explains that everyone's benchmarks for happiness are different.

The Concept of Happiness According to BPS

The concept of happiness according to BPS can vary both for individuals and groups, organizations and even countries. Each happiness has a different level, it can be in the form of happiness that includes physical or deeper spiritual related.

Happiness is not only a matter of economy, but can include other elements of life. This can be seen based on the World Happiness Report 2021, which shows Guatemala and Uruguay have a higher happiness index than Singapore which has a higher GDP than the two countries. Singapore's GDP is 390 billion US dollars, while Guatemala is 84.5 billion US dollars and Uruguay is 56.7 billion US dollars.

Then the question arises, why should happiness be measured if the source of happiness will be different for each person? BPS explained that the indicator of happiness is needed as a material for consideration in making decisions related to public policies and national development.

The park in Helsinki, Finland is called the country with the happiest people in the world. (Photo: Unsplash)

Based on the BPS release related to the Happiness Index, it can be seen that the feeling dimension numbers are the lowest when compared to the other two dimensions, namely the meaning of life dimension (73.12) and the life satisfaction dimension number (75.16). If we relate to the ongoing pandemic, then the feeling dimension is the most disturbed dimension of the other two dimensions. Many people experience this feeling of anxiety, anxiety, fear, and security during the pandemic.

Did the pandemic then have a bad impact on everything? From the Happiness Index, it can be seen that the indicator of satisfaction with family harmony is quite high (82.56), where during the pandemic with the implementation of the work system from the office (WFO) and the work from home system (WFH) as well as online schools, family members have enough time to spend time together. gather.

Indonesian Society Spirituality

The survey results show that although people are anxious and depressed about the COVID-19 pandemic, in fact their happiness has actually increased compared to 2-3 years before the pandemic

Quoted from the UGM website, the Head of the Center for Community Mental Health, Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada Yogyakarta, Diana Setiyawati said that the pandemic did increase distress or negative stress due to the magnitude of pressure and social changes that society had to face. However, the increase may not be significant in Indonesia.

When faced with pressures, life, people usually stop for a moment and force them to adapt by changing life strategies.

“Indonesians have a buffer or buffer whose source is the spirituality of the community. With spirituality, people can learn, hone their creativity and potential, which were not honed before the pandemic," he said.

The Statistics Indonesia 2022 report also shows an increase in the life expectancy of the population by 0.1 percent from the previous year. This achievement also extends the positive trend over the last ten years.

Referring to the report of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) 2021, Indonesia's life expectancy which was recorded at 71.7 years exceeded four countries, namely the Philippines (71.2 years), Cambodia (69.9 years), Laos (67.9 years). ), and Myanmar (67.1 years).

A number of indicators of Indonesia's social welfare have improved. Among the world's countries, Indonesia was also able to rise from adversity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is hoped that this achievement will be a spark of confidence to continue to accelerate. In the midst of Indonesia's good achievements in 2021.