Does Religious Obedience Affect Happiness? The NU Muslims Indonesian Case

Abstract

Happiness is one of the benchmarks of individual welfare. Currently, welfare is not
only calculated from the income but also the individual’s perspective on life. Welfare
is a multi-dimensional component, and happiness is part of subjective well-being. This
study aims to empirically prove the role of religious obedience on the happiness of
Muslims, especially for those closely related to Nahdlatul Ulama (NU). This research
approach is quantitative with secondary data sources obtained from the 5th wave of the
Indonesia Family Life Survey (IFLS). This study took 481 respondents which were
estimated by the logistic regression model. The results show that piety is empirically
proven to increase the happiness of NU Muslims in Indonesia. In addition, economic
factors such as income also play a role in increasing happiness. Other result shows that
age is also determinant of happiness which display distinct functional relations (linear
decline and U-shape). While formal education in madrasa schools has no impact on
happiness. The contribution of this research is that NU institutions will focus more on
activities that can increase citizen piety.