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Family and children (32%), a sense of control over one’s life (27%), and having a meaningful purpose (27%) also emerged as key contributors to happiness across APAC.
About 39% of people surveyed across APAC rank feeling appreciated and loved among the top three factors contributing to their happiness, according to Ipsos’ 2026 Happiness Report.
According to the report, the APAC region cited the following factors that have contributed to their happiness:
- My family and children (32%)
- Feeling in control of my life (27%)
- Feeling my life has meaning (27%)
- My mental health and wellbeing (26%)
Responses were drawn from individuals who described themselves as either “very happy” or “rather happy” when asked to rate their overall happiness on a scale ranging from “very happy” to “not happy at all.”
Respondents within the APAC region who responded "very happy" were from:
- Indonesia (43%)
- India (33%)
- Malaysia (21%)
- Australia (20%)
- Singapore (11%)
Reported happiness was consistent through adulthood before rising slightly when people approached their 60s and rose further among those in their 70s:
Of these respondents, those with high income felt that money brings them happiness (79%). This was followed by those with medium income (76%) and low income (67%).
This can be attributed to:
- Low income — Feeing appreciated/loved (39%)
- Medium income — My family and children (37%)
- High income — My family and children (40%)
On the other hand, the biggest drivers of unhappiness were cited as follows:
- Low income — My financial situation (61%)
- Medium income — My financial situation (57%)
- High income — My financial situation (54%)
Within the APAC region, happiness levels in the past year (January 2025 - January 2026) grew as follows:
- Indonesia (79% - 85%)
- Malaysia (76% - 81%)
- Australia (71% - 78%)
- Singapore (73% - 73%)
- India (88% - 72%)
Other key findings from the report include:
- Most people are happy. On average across 29 countries 74% say they are happy with 26% unhappy.
- In 25 of the 29 countries surveyed, people are happier than they were 12 months ago.
- However, reported happiness is lower than 15 years ago. In 15 of the 20 countries featured in both surveys, people are less likely to feel happy now.
Methodology
These are the results of a 29-country survey conducted by Ipsos on its Global Advisor online platform and, in India, on its IndiaBus platform, between Wednesday, 24 December 2025 and 9 January 2026.
For this survey, Ipsos interviewed a total of 23,268 adults aged 18 years and older in India, 18-74 in Canada, Republic of Ireland, Malaysia, South Africa, Türkiye, and the United States, 20-74 in Thailand, 21-74 in Indonesia and Singapore, and 16-74 in all other countries.
More details here.
READ MORE: Women’s sense of safety at work and beyond differs across six SEA markets
Lead image / Ipsos
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