Smart Dubai has revealed the results of the Happiness Index 2018, where the emirate scored 90 per cent for customer happiness levels during interactions with government and private sector entities, a media report said.

The entities with the highest happiest levels under the Large Government Entities category were Dubai Electricity and Water Authority with 94.87 per cent, Dubai Police with 87.16 per cent, and Roads and Transport Authority & Dubai Municipality with 84 per cent, reported Dubai Media Office.

As for the Medium-Sized Government Entities with More Than 20,000 Votes category, Dubai Customs came in first with 97.49 per cent, followed by the Dubai Land Department and Dubai Courts with 81.65 per cent and 76.99 per cent, respectively.

Meanwhile, in the Medium-Sized Government Entities with Less Than 20,000 Votes category, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority came in first with 91.70 per cent, the General Civil Aviation Authority came in second with 88.83 per cent, and the Awqaf and Minors Affairs Foundation came in third with 82.72 per cent.

In the Private Sector Category, Al Masraf Arab Bank for Investment & Foreign Trade came out on top, followed by RAK Bank and Joyalukkas Exchange in second and third place, respectively.

The number of votes cast by customers at government and private sector entities in 2018 totalled 8 million, collected from 172 institutions that have deployed Happiness Meters at customer centres and online platforms. The institutions comprise 43 Government entities and 129 private companies. The Happiness Meter can be found in 960 service centres across the city, as well as 273 websites and smart applications.

Dr Aisha Bint Butti Bin Bishr, director general of Smart Dubai, said: “The Happiness Index is an essential instrument that provides access to feedback from Dubai’s residents and visitors about happiness levels when conducting experiences across the city.

We are committed to continuously developing and improving Government services, in an effort to further improve Dubai’s Happiness Index score. Our ultimate goal is to raise our happiness levels to 95 per cent by 2021, in line with the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai.”

“We are grateful to all the Government and private sector entities that have collaborated with Smart Dubai, which resulted in a significant boost to happiness scores, driving us forward in our quest to make Dubai the smartest and happiest city in the world,” Dr Aisha added. “Furthermore, these efforts helped raise awareness of smart services and their importance in people’s lives, reaffirming the effectiveness of our plans and strategies in accelerating the emirate’s transformation into a full-fledged smart city.”

Two separate metrics were used to calculate the Happiness Index score, namely: rate of interactions with the Happiness Meter on smart channels, which accounts for 30 per cent of the total score, and customer votes at service centres, which account for 70 per cent.

The results were then split into four main categories: Large Government Entities with a high volume of customers, Medium-Sized Government Entities with More Than 20,000 Votes; Medium-Sized Government Entities with Less Than 20,000 Votes, and Private Sector Entities.

The Happiness Index is part of the ambitious Happiness Agenda initiative, launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in May 2016 to quantify and analyse customer happiness levels when interacting with all of Dubai’s government and private sector services. The Happiness Agenda helps accelerate efforts to set plans and roadmaps for spreading happiness in the community and the nation.