If you still didn't know just how much the UAE takes happiness seriously, now you will. In a recent survey - conducted by the Department of Community Development in Abu Dhabi - seven out of 10 people said they're "happy."
Conducted by the Abu Dhabi government, the study also revealed that 90 percent of residents in the UAE capital feel safe and secure in their environment. It involved 51,000 participants, of which 60 percent were expats.
The study also revealed that 68 percent of Abu Dhabi residents are satisfied with their job. The Department of Community Development is responsible for "providing a decent life for all community members."
On Wednesday, Abu Dhabi officially launched the Department of Community Development, inaugurated at the Louvre Abu Dhabi.
The survey, conducted by the newly launched department throughout 2018, asked respondents to express their sentiments on 14 different sectors including income, housing, jobs, health, education, and safety, to name a few.
"On the satisfaction of life the score was 7.11 [out of 10], and job satisfaction was 68.2 percent," said Mugheer Al Khaili, Chairman of the Department of Community Development, according to Gulf News.
UAE & Happiness: A long-lasting relationship
In 2018, the UAE made it to the top 20 happiest countries in the world, according to the World Happiness Report 2018, which ranked 156 countries around the world based on happiness.
The UAE was the only Arab country to make it to the top 20 in the ranking.
Ohoud bint Khalfan Al Roumi, the UAE's Minister of State for Happiness and Wellbeing, expressed joy at the country's achievement.
"The concerted efforts and achievements made by federal and local government entities in the UAE to incorporate a culture of happiness and wellbeing in their environments and make it an important objective in their daily work was a key catalyst to rank the UAE as the 20th happiest country in the World Happiness Report," she said, according to Arabian Business.