INTERNET USE AND LIFE SATISFACTION IN GEORGIA

Öz

The current work investigates the determinants of life satisfaction in Georgia with a particular focus on Internet use by considering individuals as consumers and laborers. The main motivation is the idea that Internet use may increase the life satisfaction of individuals (consumers and workers) and eventually their productivity. Caucasus Barometer 2021 survey data covering 1,540 individuals is used for empirical analysis. Since life satisfaction is a binary variable (either satisfied or not satisfied), a logit model is employed to investigate the relationship. Findings indicate that the highest impact on life satisfaction is captured by income level. Accordingly, higher income levels end up with a higher probability of life satisfaction. Those who are female, young, educated, and employed are more likely to be satisfied with their lives. Finally, daily Internet use shows a positive effect on life satisfaction. In this context, it is stated that Georgia can develop and implement policies that encourage Internet use.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Internet
• Life satisfaction
• Microeconomics
• Logit

GÜRCİSTAN'DA İNTERNET KULLANIMI VE YAŞAM DOYUMU

Öz

Mevcut çalışma Gürcistan'daki yaşam doyumunun belirleyicilerini, bireyleri tüketici ve işgücü olarak ele alarak internet kullanımı özelinde araştırmaktadır. Temel motivasyon, internet kullanımının bireylerin (tüketiciler ve çalışanlar) yaşam doyumunu ve nihayetinde üretkenliklerini artırabileceği düşüncesidir. Ampirik analiz için 1,540 kişiyi kapsayan Caucasus Barometer 2021 anket verileri kullanılmıştır. Yaşam doyumu bir kukla değişken (memnun ya da değil) olduğundan, ilişkiyi araştırmak için logit modeli kullanılmıştır. Bulgular, yaşam doyumu üzerindeki en yüksek etkinin gelir düzeyi tarafından sağlandığını göstermektedir. Buna göre daha yüksek gelir seviyeleri, daha yüksek bir yaşam doyumu olasılığı ile sonuçlanmaktadır. Kadın, genç, eğitimli ve çalışan kişilerin hayatlarından memnun olma olasılıkları da daha yüksektir. Son olarak günlük internet kullanımı yaşam doyumu üzerinde olumlu etki göstermektedir. Bu kapsamda Gürcistan'ın internet kullanımını özendirici politikalar geliştirebileceği ve uygulayabileceği belirtilmiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• İnternet
• Yaşam Doyumu
• Logit
• Mikro iktisat

Kaynakça

1. Appleton, S., & Song, L. (2008). Life satisfaction in urban China: Components and Determinants. World Development, Vol. 36, No. 11, pp. 2325-2340. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2008.04.009
2. Brown, D., Woolf, J., & Smith, C. (2012). An Empirical Investigation into The Determinants of Life Satisfaction in New Zealand. New Zealand Economic Papers, Vol. 46, No. 3, pp. 239-251. https://doi.org/10.1080/00779954.2012.657896
3. CRRC (2021). Caucasus Barometer 2021: Georgia. The Caucasus Research Resource Centers. https://caucasusbarometer.org/downloads/cb2021ge/CB_2021_public.dta. (Access date: 22.04.2022).
4. Doyar, B. V., Rzali, S., & Dikkaya, M. (2022). Development of the ICT Sector and the Determinants of Internet Use in the Southern Caucasus. Telecommunications Policy, (Article in Press). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.telpol.2022.102455
5. Ebrahim, A., Botha, F., & Snowball, J. (2013). Determinants of Life Satisfaction Among Race Groups in South Africa. Development Southern Africa, Vol. 30, No. 2, pp. 168-185. https://doi.org/10.1080/0376835X.2013.797227
6. Helliwell, J. F. Layard, R., and Sachs, J. (2013). World Happiness Report 2013. New York: UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
7. Helliwell, J. F. Layard, R., and Sachs, J. (2015). World Happiness Report 2015. New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
8. Helliwell, J. F. Layard, R., and Sachs, J. (2016). World Happiness Report 2016, Update (Vol. I). New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

9. Helliwell, J. F. Layard, R., and Sachs, J. (2017). World Happiness Report 2017. New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
10. Helliwell, J. F. Layard, R., and Sachs, J. (2018). World Happiness Report 2018. New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
11. Helliwell, J. F. Layard, R., and Sachs, J. (2019). World Happiness Report 2019. New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
12. Helliwell, J. F. Layard, R., Sachs, J., and De Neve, J. (2020). World Happiness Report 2020. New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
13. Helliwell, J. F. Layard, R., Sachs, J., and De Neve, J. (2021). World Happiness Report 2020. New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
14. Helliwell, J. F. Layard, R., Sachs, J., De Neve, J., Aknin, L. B., and Wang, S. (2022). World Happiness Report 2022. New York: Sustainable Development Solutions Network.
15. Helliwell, J. F., Huang, H., & Harris, A. (2009). “International Differences in The Determinants of Life Satisfaction” (Ed. Bhaskar Dutta, Tridip Ray, E Somanathan), New and Enduring Themes in Development Economics, pp. 3-40, World Scientific.
16. Ji, J., Xu, X., & Rich, S. L. (2002). Determinants of Family Life Satisfaction in Reforming Urban China. International Journal of Comparative Sociology, Vol. 43, No. 2, pp. 169-191. https://doi.org/10.1177/002071520204300204
17. Jovanović, V., & Joshanloo, M. (2019). The Determinants of Life Satisfaction in Serbia: Findings From The Gallup World Poll. International Journal of Wellbeing, Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 43-60. https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v9i1.751
18. Kamo, Y. (1998). Sociological Determinants of Life Satisfaction in Japan: The Roles of Gender, Family, and Work. International Journal of Japanese Sociology, Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 127-153. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-6781.1998.tb00060.x
19. Kavetsos, G., & Koutroumpis, P. (2011). Technological Affluence and Subjective Well-Being. Journal of Economic Psychology, Vol. 32, No. 5, pp. 742-753. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2011.05.004
20. Kolosnitsyna, M., Khorkina, N., & Dorzhiev, H. (2017). Determinants of Life Satisfaction in Older Russians. Ageing International, Vol. 42, No. 3, pp. 354-373. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-017-9297-3
21. Lera-López, F., Billon, M., & Gill, M. (2011). Determinants of Internet Use in Spain. Economics of Innovation and New Technology, Vol. 20, No. 2, pp. 127-152. https://doi.org/10.1080/10438590903378017
22. Long, J. S., & Freese, J. (2012). Regression Models for Categorical Dependent Variables Using Stata. Stata Press Publication, Texas.
23. Meyer, D. F., & Dunga, S. H. (2014). The Determinants of Life Satisfaction in A Low-Income, Poor Community in South Africa. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, Vol. 5, No. 13, pp. 163-163. http://dx.doi.org/10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n13p163
24. Ngoo, Y. T., Tey, N. P., & Tan, E. C. (2015). Determinants of life satisfaction in Asia. Social Indicators Research, Vol. 124, No.1, pp. 141-156. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11205-014-0772-x
25. Owusu Ansah, K., Dey, N. E. Y., Adade, A. E., & Agbadi, P. (2022). Determinants of life satisfaction among Ghanaians aged 15 to 49 years: A further analysis of the 2017/2018 Multiple Cluster Indicator Survey. PloS One, Vol. 17, No. 1, pp. e0261164. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0261164
26. Pénard, T., Poussing, N., & Suire, R. (2013). Does The Internet Make People Happier?. The Journal of Socio-Economics, Vol. 46, pp. 105-116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socec.2013.08.004
27. Ulutürk-Akman, S. (2021). Determinants of Happiness and Life Satisfaction: The Life Satisfaction Survey of the Turkish Statistical Institute. Journal of Social Policy Conferences, No. 81, pp. 35-69. https://doi.org/10.26650/jspc.2021.81.986105
28. Veenhoven, R. (2012). “HAPPINESS: Also Known as Life-satisfaction and Subjective Well-being” (Ed. Kenneth C. Land, Alex C. Michalos, M. Joseph Sirgy), Handbook of Social Indicators and Quality of Life Research, pp. 63-77, Springer Publishers.
29. Wang, C., Liu, J., Pu, R., Li, Z., Guo, W., Feng, Z., Huang, R., Ghose, B., Ji, L., & Tang, S. (2020). Determinants of Subjective Health, Happiness, and Life Satisfaction Among Young Adults (18-24 Years) in Guyana. BioMed Research International, Vol. 2020, pp. 9063808. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/9063808
30. World Bank (2022). World Development Indicators. https://databank.worldbank.org/reports.aspx?source=world-development-indicators (Access date: 29.11.2022).
31. Zhang, K., Pei, J., Wang, S., Rokpelnis, K., & Yu, X. (2022). Life Satisfaction in China, 2010–2018: Trends and Unique Determinants. Applied Research in Quality of Life, Vol. 17, pp. 2311-2348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11482-021-10031-x