Poll: Boomers may be less happy
In a national survey that asked “Did you experience happiness during a lot of the day yesterday?”, “Did you experience enjoyment during a lot of the day yesterday?” and “Did you smile or laugh a lot yesterday?”, around 70 percent of adults age 46 to 65 said “yes.”
The Gallup poll of 608,000 adults found that young adults age 18-20 were the happiest (79 percent), declining slightly through the 20s, 30s and 40s to a low of 70 percent among 51- to 60-year-olds. From there, happiness increased steadily to 76 percent of all 71- to 75-year-olds.
“The data reflect a cross-section of the American adult population at a particular point in time — January 2008-September 2009 — and thus do not allow inferences to be made about the ‘normal’ course of life events,” the study explained. There were no clear patterns among gender and age groups, Gallup noted.
“It is possible, for example, that specific life circumstances of the core baby boomer group now in their 50s will stay with them throughout their lives, and that in the years ahead, they will not enjoy the increased happiness levels now apparent among those who are in their 60s,” Gallup also noted.
Read more from the study at Gallup.com.
Would you answer “yes” to all three of the questions? Please leave your comments here.
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