Editor's Note

CCTV launched a new program titled Holiday survey: Are you happy? which saw reporters conducting random street interviews in a number of cities, asking local residents whether they were happy. The show sparked much debate among the public.

Some criticised its journalism style and noted that happiness is a subjective feeling which cannot be realistically assessed by respondents in front of a television camera. However, it's good to see that people's sense of happiness has become a hot topic and people at all levels pay great attention to happiness.

Startling Answers

Some interviewees' answers in the program have been startling and have become hits online.

Photo: A grab of CCTV	In Beiying village, Qingxu county, Shanxi Province Migrant worker: I'm a migrant worker from another place. Don't question me. Reporter: Are you happy? ("Nǐ Xìng Fú ma?" which sounds exactly the same in Chinese as "Is your last name Fu?") Migrant worker: My last name is Zeng.
Photo: A grab of CCTV	An 18-year-old boy from Tianjin studying in Zhengzhou was interviewed at the local train station. Reporter: What do you want the most? Student: A girlfriend. Reporter: What's the worst thing that happened to you? Student: The worst thing is when I was talking to you, someone cut in line right in front of me.
Photo: A grab of CCTV	In Haining, Zhejiang Province, an elderly man who was collecting recyclable bottles for sale got interviewed. Reporter: How many bottles have you collected this morning? Old man: I'm 73. Reporter: You are 73? Old man: Two cents for each bottle. Reporter: How many bottles have you collected till now? Old man: I am dependent on the government, living on the government's subsistence allowance. 650 yuan ($100) per month. It's good government. Reporter: Are you happy? Old man: My hearing is not good.

About Happiness

What is happiness?

It is difficult to define happiness. You can hardly expect a person to give a yes or no answer within a few seconds of being asked "Are you happy?"

Cnhubei.com commented that happiness is a kind of personal feeling, psychological satisfaction and life experience. Happiness need not be spoken out and it could only be felt in the heart.

Key indicators that influence people's sense of happiness

Such as job stress, public transportation, air quality, personal wealth and food safety

Comments

Concept of happiness difficult for Chinese to grasp
There is a larger social context behind this hastily planned program. As China's global status has risen and people's material lives have improved, the public's sense of security and happiness has experienced a decline. City dwellers are being asked to shoulder skyrocketing housing prices, migrant workers consider it a luxury to travel back home, and young people take the civil servant exam over and over in an attempt to secure a life-long job.

Society should make room for individual pursuits
But our society often fails to meet individuals' new requests and expectations. The zealous pursuit of fortune has not stopped, yet the importance of spiritual factors is on the rise. Many economic appeals are combined and echo certain spiritual expectations.

Happiness not at odds with economic growth
Happiness is a rather vague term. In recent years, the index of happiness has been increasingly emphasized by local governments and media, following the trend of many other countries. It might be true to some extent that a sentiment combining expectation and apprehension, plus some uncertainties, is prevailing in society, and probably not unusual in countries experiencing fast development.

Cnhubei.com commented that happiness itself cannot be evaluated and there are no standards to measure it. So it is meaningless to just ask people whether they are happy and it will not bring any substantial values for policy makers to refer to. Besides, happiness is just a momentary feeling. Nobody is happy for ever and nobody will never be happy.

From a sociological perspective, the questions set by CCTV are not inappropriate. Using a general and conceptual question to interview different people will certainly get different answers. Sometimes no answer is also a kind of answer which indicates something, as the Oriental Morning Post commented, quoting Yu Guoming, a professor of the School of Journalism and Communication at the Renmin University of China

The reason why the program has attracted so much attention is that it is close to ordinary people’s lives, approachable and interesting, Zhang Zhi'an, an associate professor with the School of Communication and Design at Sun Yat-Sen University told the Oriental Morning Post.

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