"Thus, the people of East Java, both in urban and rural areas, can be happy physically and mentally," Parawansa noted in Surabaya on Monday.
The governor delivered the statement in response to the 2021 Central Bureau of Statistics' happiness index results.
The bureau stated that East Java's happiness index had reached 72.08 points, increasing by 1.31 points from the 2017 value capped at 70.77 points.
These results place East Java on the 19th rank in the country, better than its 23rd ranking in 2017.
In comparison with other provinces in Java island, East Java's happiness index was recorded as the highest, both in terms of value and increase.
When a comparison was drawn, the happiness index of Central Java Province was recorded at 71.73 points, while Yogyakarta Province was at 71.70 points, Jakarta Province at 70.68 points, West Java Province at 70.23 points, and Banten Province at 68.08 points.
"The happiness index results are calculated every four years by the Central Bureau of Statistics. Thank God, this year is better than 2017," she affirmed.
The Central Bureau of Statistics re-released the 2021 happiness index report that details the happiest and the least happy provinces in Indonesia.
The happiness index is measured through the Happiness Level Measurement Survey, conducted every three years, which takes three aspects into account: life satisfaction, affect, and eudaimonia.
Parawansa attributed the increase in happiness index in East Java to the people being able to make peace with unfriendly situations and conditions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Moreover, the increase in the public's happiness index was due to the stable prices of basic necessities in East Java.
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Translator: Fiqih Arfani, Mecca Yumna
Editor: Suharto
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