Social Development: Who We Are? The Value and Happiness

This chapter examines the intersection of culture and happiness in Trinidad and Tobago (TT). It draws on the literature that relates a country's socioeconomic progress to its cultural values, where higher economic development aligns with values of self-expression and secularism, while lower growth aligns with survival and traditional values. The data shows that TT exhibits the following distinctive patterns: lower self-expression and higher survival values alongside higher traditional and lower secular values. Interestingly, despite ethnic diversity, there are minimal variations in values among ethnic groups. Overall, TT stands out as a notably happier country than comparative country groups due to higher GDP per capita and social support.