Sustainability values orientation, minimalism, and happiness

In today’s world, by prioritizing economic values and striving for more profit, human beings are destroying the environment and natural resources. Since values are the antecedents of human behavior, determining value orientations and hierarchies is important for sustainability. While creating economic systems, people often neglect the needs of the ecosystem of which they are a part and become unhappy as a result. The first aim of this study is to determine the impact of minimalist behavior on happiness, the second aim is to determine the impact of value orientations on minimalist behavior, and the third aim is to determine the ranking of value orientations that represent the three dimensions of sustainability value orientation (biospheric, altruistic and egoistic value). In order to achieve these objectives, a survey was conducted with 396 participants studying or working in the fields of agriculture, environment, forestry and water affairs in Ankara, the capital of Türkiye. Statistical analyses were performed by means of structural equation modelling. The results showed that minimalist behavior had a direct impact on happiness. Biospheric values and altruistic value orientations had a direct impact on minimalist behavior, while egoistic values did not. The results show that biospheric values means were higher than altruistic values means, and altruistic values means were higher than egoistic values means. The results show that the hierarchy in sustainability value orientation is important for human happiness and sustainability. In order to ensure sustainability, decisions should be made by first considering environmental values, then social values and finally economic values in the political decision-making process. Political decision-making processes in which economic values are prioritized and the environment (harvest) and humanity (generation) are pushed into the background are not sustainable.