Jakarta's Anniversary: Are Its Citizens Happy?

Jakarta's 496th Anniversary falls today, Thursday (22/6/2023).

On this anniversary, the Jakarta Provincial Government (Pemprov DKI Jakarta) carries the theme "Jadi Karya untuk Nusantara" (Creating Works for the Archipelago). In its social media post, the Jakarta Provincial Government encourages its citizens to optimize all resources, open up creative spaces for the welfare of its citizens, and be ready to become a barometer of progress for other regions in Indonesia.

The establishment of Jakarta has undergone a long transformation. Based on its history as documented on the Jakarta Provincial Government website, this area was initially a small port in the Ciliwung River estuary, 500 years ago. Gradually, this small port grew into an international trading center.

After the independence movement and independence, Jakarta was designated as the nation's capital in 1966. This city never sleeps and continues to rapidly develop into a metropolitan city.

Besides Jakarta's rapid development, is the condition of its citizens now happy?

The Jakarta Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS DKI Jakarta) collects the happiness level of Jakarta residents through a happiness index.

The results show that in 2014, Jakarta's happiness index score was 69.21 points out of a scale of 0-100. This figure is higher than the national average of 68.28 in the same year.

Then in 2017, its happiness index score reached 71.33 points. This figure is also higher than the national average of 70.69 points.

The latest survey in 2021, the Jakarta happiness index score dropped to 70.68 points. This figure is also below the national average, which reached 71.49 points.

In general, the BPS happiness index is composed of 3 dimensions: the dimension of life satisfaction consisting of personal and social sub-dimensions, the dimension of feelings, and the dimension of the meaning of life.

The BPS obtained this index from a survey measuring the level of happiness. The survey was conducted from July 1 to August 27, 2021. The survey sample was randomly selected households.

(Read also: 10 Happiest Provinces in Indonesia, Which Ones?)