[maratc]

All these studies are self-reported happiness (basically, many people answering the question "How happy do you feel today?"). Israel ranks high because large parts of the population — the religious ones, with not a lot of income but many children and a strong sense of fulfillment — are regularly and steadily self-reporting high levels of happiness.

(This relates to both Jewish and Muslim citizens of Israel.)

Your (or mine, or anyone's) view of their conditions don't have much influence on their everyday feelings.

> Makes this whole Ranking suspicious

There's nothing too suspicious about asking many people in different countries are they feeling happy on this particular day. If anything, what's looking suspicious is the premise that high levels of GDP (for whatever that means) would result in more happiness of the people.