Guangdong releases happiness meter results

Guangzhou (CNS) -- Monday, the provincial authority of Guangdong in south China released a report on the construction of a "happy Guangdong" by 2010. This is its first evaluation of progress based on the provincial happiness index system adopted in October of 2011. 

The project provides feedback to the government on the mood of its population and public satisfaction on a host of measures, and as such is meant to drive improvements in the areas of social welfare and livelihoods, explained Xing Xiaowei, head of the provincial statistics bureau.

From 2006 to 2010, cities in the Pearl River Delta saw increased citizen contentment, most notably Jiangmen and Zhuhai; Shantou and Jieyang have far less to complain about than other parts of the province. Another good sign is that gaps between the cities being studied are shrinking.

The report also revealed some critical problems, such as that community services are generally lagging behind needs, satisfaction gaps between employees from various industries polled remain wide, and elder care insurance policies clearly favor urban residents to the neglect of rural populations.

The index system includes 10 indicators, notably employment and income, education and culture, as well as social security issues, complemented by demographic and other descriptive data.