Considered in the index are factors including income, medical care, social order and equality, the sense of family and other interpersonal relationships, professional satisfaction, and the feeling of belonging.

The survey found that income level was the most important individual factor in determining people's sense of happiness, followed by social standing.

The survey shows that 31.6 per cent of people are 90 per cent happy with their lives. Only 7.2 per cent are less than 50 per cent satisfied. In between are those who are 60 to 90 per cent satisfied.

The index also shows that among all age groups, the middle-aged rank as the least happy  shouldering the heaviest sense of social responsibility.

And that those living in the suburbs are happier than people who dwell in downtown Beijing.

Though citizens may have different opinions about what happiness is, many citizens welcome the index.

"This is different from previous official indexes which were cold and impersonal  this index touches the hearts of individual citizens," Chen Liangwen, an economic researcher with Peking University, told China Daily.

Chen also said that while other indexes, such as gross domestic product (GDP), measured technically calculable factors, the psychological state of satisfaction was so subjective it could hardly be represented in figures.

According to the bureau spokeswoman, the index will be released annually, every September, helping to draw the government's attention to its shortcomings, and the effects of its policies.

Yu hinted that the municipal government would consider incorporating the index in its evaluation of officials' work.

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