I came across an interesting article, “Happiness For America's Young People Often Means Family Ties, Faith, Belonging.” The article was written by Jocelyn Noveck and Trevor Tompson, Associated Press writers who report on a recent poll conducted by The Associated Press and MTV. (What good could come out of MTV you ask?) You can read the entire article here. The following is a condensed version of the aforementioned article along with my overall conclusion and comments.
The poll asked the question of over a thousand young persons aged 13-24 “What makes you happy?”
They conjectured, “A worried, weary parent might imagine the answer to sound something like this: Sex, drugs, a little rock 'n' roll. Maybe some cash, or at least the car keys.”
They discovered that the true response to what makes young people happy is a lot different from that which we would expect to hear. The following is a list of what makes young persons happiest.
HAPPINESS IS ...
1. (20% said) spending time with family was the top answer.
2. spending time with friends
3. spending time with a significant other. Overall, romantic relationships are a source of happiness - but being in one doesn't necessarily lead to greater happiness with life in general.… Eventually, though, marriage is a goal for most young people, with 92 percent saying they either definitely or probably want to get married.
4. Nearly 75% of young people say their relationship with their parents makes them happy … "They're my foundation," says Kristiana St. John, 17, a high-school student from Queens in 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."
OTHER FINDINGS
Stresses & Fears: Young people in this survey had a 10 percent higher stress rate than adults did in a 2006 AP-Ipsos poll … Only 29 percent feel very safe traveling, and 25 percent very safe from terror attacks…
Money: 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 percent) say they'd be just as happy.
Drugs & Alcohol: Alcohol users are slightly less happy than those who don't drink. The differences are more remarkable among 13-17 year olds; just 40 percent of those who drank in the last seven days reported being happy with life, versus 68 percent of those who didn't. And 49 percent of illegal drug users reported being happy with life, compared with 66 percent of those who didn't use drugs.Racial Divide: While 72 percent of whites say they're happy with life in general, just 56 percent of blacks and 51 percent of Hispanics say that…
Soul Food: …More than half - 55 percent - say (religion and spirituality) is either a very important part of life or the single most important thing in their lives.
Heroes: . . . nearly half mentioned one of their parents, with mothers ranking higher (29 percent) than fathers (21 percent.) . . . Also mentioned: God (more than 10 percent), teachers (nearly 5 percent); and members of the military, policemen and firefighters.The 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.
CONCLUSION & COMMENTS
I was heartened by the results shown in this poll. It is encouraging to see that despite the constant assault on our culture, on its basic values and principles by the leftist including the academic, media and entertainment elite and many so-called religious and political leaders, many young people still have their heads on somewhat straight. Relationship with family, others and God surfaced as more important than money, drugs, alcohol or sex. Most young people look forward to marriage (hopefully with partners of the opposite sex!) and the future. Young folk get it despite the overbearing influence of many immature or corrupt adults.
The poll asked the question of over a thousand young persons aged 13-24 “What makes you happy?”
They conjectured, “A worried, weary parent might imagine the answer to sound something like this: Sex, drugs, a little rock 'n' roll. Maybe some cash, or at least the car keys.”
They discovered that the true response to what makes young people happy is a lot different from that which we would expect to hear. The following is a list of what makes young persons happiest.
HAPPINESS IS ...
1. (20% said) spending time with family was the top answer.
2. spending time with friends
3. spending time with a significant other. Overall, romantic relationships are a source of happiness - but being in one doesn't necessarily lead to greater happiness with life in general.… Eventually, though, marriage is a goal for most young people, with 92 percent saying they either definitely or probably want to get married.
4. Nearly 75% of young people say their relationship with their parents makes them happy … "They're my foundation," says Kristiana St. John, 17, a high-school student from Queens in 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."
OTHER FINDINGS
Stresses & Fears: Young people in this survey had a 10 percent higher stress rate than adults did in a 2006 AP-Ipsos poll … Only 29 percent feel very safe traveling, and 25 percent very safe from terror attacks…
Money: 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 percent) say they'd be just as happy.
Drugs & Alcohol: Alcohol users are slightly less happy than those who don't drink. The differences are more remarkable among 13-17 year olds; just 40 percent of those who drank in the last seven days reported being happy with life, versus 68 percent of those who didn't. And 49 percent of illegal drug users reported being happy with life, compared with 66 percent of those who didn't use drugs.Racial Divide: While 72 percent of whites say they're happy with life in general, just 56 percent of blacks and 51 percent of Hispanics say that…
Soul Food: …More than half - 55 percent - say (religion and spirituality) is either a very important part of life or the single most important thing in their lives.
Heroes: . . . nearly half mentioned one of their parents, with mothers ranking higher (29 percent) than fathers (21 percent.) . . . Also mentioned: God (more than 10 percent), teachers (nearly 5 percent); and members of the military, policemen and firefighters.The 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.
CONCLUSION & COMMENTS
I was heartened by the results shown in this poll. It is encouraging to see that despite the constant assault on our culture, on its basic values and principles by the leftist including the academic, media and entertainment elite and many so-called religious and political leaders, many young people still have their heads on somewhat straight. Relationship with family, others and God surfaced as more important than money, drugs, alcohol or sex. Most young people look forward to marriage (hopefully with partners of the opposite sex!) and the future. Young folk get it despite the overbearing influence of many immature or corrupt adults.
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