Does taking vacations make people happy? A regional disparity perspective

This study examines happiness determinants from a regional disparity perspective. Data from a national leisure survey conducted in South Korea was used. Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression was performed. Findings indicate that leisure satisfaction, vacationing, participation in club activities, participation in volunteer activities, gender, marital status, household income, and education level were significantly related to respondents’ happiness. These determinants were further investigated by regional segmentation. In tests to determine the strength of vacationing and self-rating of leisure satisfaction on happiness, leisure satisfaction was found to be significantly and positively related to happiness levels after controlling for respondents’ characteristics.