How Does the World Measure Happiness? (Washington Post, 2025)

“Indonesia, the world’s fourth-most-populous country, tops the report’s rankings of countries where the largest share of people made a charitable donation and volunteered their time in the past month. The Indonesian concept of gotong royong – meaning “collaboration” or “doing things together” – is ubiquitous, from organizing weddings to responding to disasters, said Aulia Nastiti, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute for Advanced Research at Monash University in Indonesia.”

“Community members create informal networks of care by pooling money when someone is sick or in an accident; they organize WhatsApp groups to share job tips or emotional support, Nastiti said. These aren’t viewed as mere social groups. They are survival strategies.
“The strong belief in gotong royong reflects the strength of our social fabric and the weakness of institutional support,” she said.”