A Pilot Study of a Subjective Happiness Index in Ghana

Happiness has emerged as a key indicator of societal well-being and development, complementing traditional economic measures such as Gross Domestic Product. This pilot study provides empirical evidence on the structure and domain composition of subjective happiness in Ghana, drawing on psychological, social, economic, environmental, and institutional dimensions. A cross-sectional survey was conducted involving 833 respondents from selected rural and urban households across six administrative regions of Ghana. The study employed the Happiness Alliance 62-item Happiness Index, which measures psychological well-being, healthcare access and quality, time balance, community belonging, social support, education and culture, environmental quality, governance, material well-being, and work satisfaction. Psychometric evaluation showed good measurement properties. The scale exhibited strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s α = 0.824), with domain-level alphas ranging from 0.753 to 0.930. Exploratory Factor Analysis using Principal Axis Factoring with Promax rotation supported a theory-driven ten-factor structure, explaining 67.8% of total variance (KMO = 0.920; Bartlett’s χ ² (1326) = 26,160.648, p < 0.001). Factor loadings ranged from approximately 0.32 to 0.97, with minimal cross-loadings, indicating satisfactory construct clarity. Overall happiness level was moderate (4.70/7.00), with regional and socio-demographic variations. Correlation analysis showed that all domains were positively associated with overall happiness. A multivariate regression diagnostic decomposition of the composite index showed that material well-being, governance, community belonging, and work satisfaction contributed most strongly to the composite happiness structure. At the same time, psychological well-being and access to healthcare also played meaningful roles. Governance and environmental quality recorded the lowest domain scores, highlighting institutional and ecological constraints on well-being.