Mayor Arturas Zuokas, together with the citizens of Vilnius, is looking forward to the possible benefits of the installation of the Happiness Barometer at city hall. A huge screen is in place and it is already broadcasting the dominant mood and actual level of happiness of Vilnius, Lithuania’s historic capital.
In a speech given by Mayor Arturas Zuokas, he mentioned that the barometer is going to be an awesome tool not only for the benefit of the residents but to politicians as well. The brains behind the Happiness Barometer initiative aims to acquire the reaction of the residents of Vilnius instantly so that the politicians will have immediate feedback on whether or not the things they do favor the needs of the constituency.
Happiness is in the air
Lithuania has always been viewed as an unhappy nation with all the struggles and crises it has undergone. It is thus understandable that the citizens of this peaceful nation find it hard to smile, and they are known for not smiling much. The country’s cheerless and dejected mood was especially palpable during the 2008-2009 financial dilemma that caused many citizens to suffer massive financial losses.
Mayor Zuokas sees the importance of knowing the opinion of the residents on whatever endeavors public officials are planning to undertake. According to Zuokas, a steep fall in the display would certainly mean that something wrong has been done and therefore needs swift action.
The giant monitor
Monitoring the votes of the city’s 520,000 residents is not an easy task. However, with the technological developments in today’s world, the process has been made easy. A scale is readily visible on a large monitor. There is no other place better suited for the viewing public other than the city hall, and that is where the monitor was set up. The scale is comprised of indicators of 1 to 10 and actual results are posted and constantly monitored and updated. Everybody can join in. Residents can participate by using their mobile phones or computers.
A social project such as this is the first of its kind. Vilnius is the first city to broadcast online results that can be viewed by anyone anytime and anywhere.
Hovering
The Happiness Barometer system is already functional and it has been giving stable results for over a week now. Initial results are encouraging. Polls swiveled from 6 to 7 and the scale is maintaining a steady hover at this vicinity. According to Ausra Deksnyte, a psychiatrist, a 6.1 out of 10 result on the Happiness Barometer is considerably high since Lithuanians have long been considered to be amongst the unhappy people in the world. There’s no way of telling whether the citizens of Vilnius are smiling more than usual, but the numbers suggest that this may be the case.
A model for all
The Happiness Barometer project of Vilnius is very relevant indeed. Having something to gauge the level of happiness of people residing in a city is helpful to officials. It can be useful for them to have clear indicators of the level of satisfaction of their residents.’
Photo Credit: Mayor Arturas Zuokas
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