Posted on 08/20/2007 5:47:54 PM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
(Survey examines FEELINGS of Americans ages 13 to 24)
New York - So you're between the ages of 13 and 24. What makes you happy? A worried, weary parent might imagine the answer to sound something like this: Sex, drugs and a little rock 'n' roll. Maybe some cash, or at least the car keys.
Turns out the real answer is quite different. Spending time with family was the top answer to that open-ended question, according to an extensive poll - more than 100 questions asked of 1,280 people ages 13 to 24 - conducted by The Associated Press and MTV on the nature of happiness among America's young people.
Next was spending time with friends, followed by time with a significant other. And even better for parents: Nearly three-quarters of young people say their relationship with their parents makes them happy.
"They're my foundation," said Kristiana St. John, 17, a high school student from the Queens borough of New York. "My mom tells me that even if I do something stupid, she's still going to love me no matter what. Just knowing that makes me feel very happy and blessed."
And parents, here's some more for you: Most young people in school say it makes them happy. Overwhelmingly, young people think marriage would make them happy and want to be married some day. Most also want to have kids.
However you express, define or feel it, 65% of those surveyed say they're happy with the way things are going for them right now.
For Chad Fiedler, 17, happiness is "just waking up in the morning and looking forward to what I'm going to be doing that day." And for Eoshe Roland, a 14-year-old from Nashville, it's "playing trumpet in my school band."
Family: When asked what one thing makes them most happy, 20% mentioned spending time with family - more than anything else.
"It's good news to hear young people being realistic about what really makes them happy," said psychologist Jean Twenge, author of "Generation Me" and a professor at San Diego State University. "Research has shown us that relationships are the single greatest source of happiness."
Also confirming existing research, Twenge says, is the finding that children of divorced parents are somewhat less likely to be happy. Among 13- to 17-year-olds, 64% of those with parents still together said they wake up happy, compared with 47% of those with divorced parents.
Wealth: Money may make the world go around, but when asked what one thing makes them happiest, almost nobody in the poll mentioned money or anything material. Still, money does play a role in happiness.
Those who can't afford to buy many of the things they want are less happy with life in general. Just under half of young people think they'd be happier if they had more money, while the same percentage (49%) say they would be just as happy.
Having highly educated parents is a stronger predictor of happiness than income.
"Money isn't the most important thing, but if something happens, it can turn into it," said Fiedler, who will attend Drexel University in Philadelphia next year.
Stress and safety: Young people in this survey had a 10% higher stress rate than adults did in a 2006 AP-Ipsos poll. For ages 13 to 17, school is the greatest source of stress. For those in the 18-to-24 range, it's jobs and financial matters.
A lot of young people feel stress, particularly those from the middle class, and females more than males.
Only 29% feel very safe traveling, and 25% very safe from terrorist attacks. Still, those interviewed said the fear of terrorism interfered very little with their lives.
Sex: Being sexually active actually leads to less happiness among 13- to 17-year-olds, according to the survey. If you're 18 to 24, sex might lead to more happiness in the moment, but not in general.
Alcohol use: Among 13- to 17-year-olds; just 40% of those who drank in the last seven days reported being happy with life, compared with 68% of those who didn't drink. And 49% of illegal drug users reported being happy with life, compared with 66% of those who didn't use drugs.
Racial divide: While 72% of whites say they're happy with life in general, just 56% of blacks and 51% of Hispanics say that. And 66% of whites were happy at the moment the interview began, compared with 57% of minorities.
Religion: Those for whom religion and spirituality plays a bigger role tend to be happier. More than half - 55% - say it is either a very important part of life or the single most important thing in their lives.
"I just like believing in something greater than me and everybody else," 17-year-old St. John, who attends a Catholic school, said of her commitment to religion. "When I pray, sometimes it just makes me feel better, if I'm freaking out about things."
Future: Will young people grow up to be happy adults? Overall, they're optimistic: Sixty-two percent think they'll be happier in the future than they are now. (Those over 18 are more optimistic.) But many anticipate a more difficult life than their parents had.
"I think a lot about my kids and what their lives are going to be like," Fiedler said. "There may be wars going on, who knows. I just have a feeling it's going to be harder for the future generation to be happy."
But, of course, they ended the article on a sour note to make themselves feeeeeeeel better. Had to get that "war" comment in there, as usual. *SMIRK*
What a blow to the liberal progressive idiology, family? spiritualism? Sounds like we taught our children well!
More duh stuff.
Kinda like when a few (very few) leftists admitted Dan Quail was right about Murphy Brown’s much vaulted single motherhood.
I gotta tell you, that answer surprised even me.
yep, me too! the kid turned down steaks...
More to the point, he thinks your mac-and-cheese is better than mine.
Idiot kid.
When are these kids going to vote?
When everyone knows that it is I....who make the best mac and cheese of all.
Mac and cheese is a religion.
he’s one smart 18 yr old, who knows
the best mac and cheese maker ;)
Horsephoey.
I use two - yes, count them, two - sticks of butter per 9” pan.
Even my mother admits mine is the best.
It will kill you, but dang, it is good.
My silly wife is in denial.
And my son has no clue.
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