Happiness Assessment Voice Application

The Happiness Assessment is a mobile phone survey that seeks to qualitatively understand the factors that make people happy and unhappy in different locations around the world.

Background
Often, development processes equate social progress with increases in Income. However, quality of life has many factors beyond income. This simple survey seeks to act as a proof of concept for using mobile phones to help guide a development process that is based on factors beyond measures of income.


The program works as follows:
1. An area of the world is selected, and the area code for this location is retrieved by the computer system.
2. A series of random telephone numbers are generated within this area code, and called via Voip/Asterisks.
3. When users answer they receive this message, in the local language:
"Are you willing to take a 1 minute survey on happiness? If so, please push 1 if you consider yourself happy, and push 2 if you are unhappy."
4. Based upon this response, the system then asks "In less than a minute, please explain why you consider yourself to be happy/unhappy. Push any button when you are finished"
5. Finally, the system asks "To complete this survey, please speak and describe what changes in your life would make you a happier person. Push any button when you are finished."

These responses would be captured in a database for later analysis.

While this survey is simplistic and even somewhat tongue in cheek, it could provide straightforward statistically significant report of happiness from diverse groups people around the world, in a highly cost effective manner. This system, when modified, may find use by different governments, which are currently seeking mechanisms for measuring well-being. For instance, the constitution of Bhutan requires that the government seek to increase Gross National Happiness (GNH), as opposed to Gross National Product (GNP).

1. http://www.ccsd.ca/si_exec.htm
2.Gross National Happiness
3.http://www.neweconomics.org/gen/uploads/nvtqrtftqta13k55xzo4jxbv12122006182754.pdf
4. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/How_to_track_well-being/articleshow/2719164.cms
5. http://www.flora.org/sustain/7GI/CCPA-article.shtml