Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Sayısal Yöntemler ile Mutluluk Kavramına Bakış, Naciye Tuba Yılmaz,Selay Giray Yakut, Editör, Holistence Publications, Çanakkale, ss.131-156, 2025
Happiness and life satisfaction are sociological concepts perceived differently by each individual. Happiness levels vary not only between countries due to differences in living conditions, quality of services provided, and distribution of resources among the population, but also between cities within the same country. Even within the same city, the variety of services between districts can affect citizens' perceptions of public services and their levels of satisfaction. A systematic examination of these differences can provide critical guidance for local governments seeking to improve service quality. In a large and heterogeneous metropolis like Istanbul, measuring and comparing happiness levels at the district level presents an important area of research in this context.
Based on the information above, this study analyzed Istanbul's 39 districts according to 11 different public service satisfaction indicators. The data used in the study includes public satisfaction with air quality, water quality, noise level, cleanliness, lighting, sewerage, electricity, public transportation, sidewalks, green spaces, and internet services. The study's dataset was compiled from household surveys conducted by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality as part of its data- driven management model and was created based on the responses of a total of 818 participants. For each variable, the data was summarized by taking the average of the individual responses for each district and organized for use in the analysis. This approach provided a consistent basis for comparisons between districts.
The study aims to shed light on municipalities, policymakers, and urban planners, and the results were compared using different statistical methods in context. Factor analysis was applied as a multivariate analysis approach, considering the number of districts and the balance of observations. Variables were grouped according to the factor structure obtained with the Varimax rotation method and weighted according to the explanatory ratios of the factors. In this way, the total factor scores of the districts were calculated and the districts were ranked. In addition to factor analysis, the analysis was supported by multi-criteria decision-making methods, and the ranking of alternatives was performed using two different multi-criteria decision-making methods. The variables were determined as criteria for ranking the alternatives, i.e., the districts. The criteria were objectively weighted according to their importance levels using the Entropy and CRITIC methods. When selecting the methods, the structure of the data and the subject of happiness were taken into account. The Edas method, which has a strong ability to produce intuitive results on a Likert scale and ranks based on average distance using the average value of the criteria as a reference, and the Marcos method, chosen for its normalization and application flexibility to enable comparison of results, were preferred.
As a result of the study, the findings obtained through factor analysis and multi-criteria decision-making methods were evaluated, and the rankings of the districts were compared, the strengths and weaknesses of the alternatives were evaluated and discussed in a multifaceted manner. This integrated approach has the potential to be an important guide for local governments in improving service quality. The applicability of the methodological approach used in future studies to different cities highlights the importance of this work.