Trends in Reported Happiness Within Demographically Defined Subgroups, 1957-78

Abstract

Surveys conducted between 1957 and 1978 indicate a decline in reported levels of happiness from the 1950s to the early 1970s, followed by a gradual rebound. The pattern is different for certain subgroups of the population. Those in the bottom quartile in family income showed little decline in happiness during the initial period and a steeper rise during the 1970s. A similar pattern was observed for those age 65 and older. Further analysis of the differences among age groups suggests that cohort effects dominate true age effects, and that the period effect observed prior to the 1970s was greater among young people than among older people. These patterns are interpreted as evidence of a possible shift away from materialistic values during the 1960s. The magnitude of the trend, however, is very small. Interest in the subjective quality of life has emerged in recent years in reaction to exclusive dependence on objective and especially economic indicators of well-being (cf. Campbell and Converse). If we wish to compare the quality of life of different groups, or trends over time, it is not enough, so it is argued, to compare income in dollars or health in sick days or safety in terms of victimization rates. We must also find out how individuals perceive their environment and how they feel about it if the comparisons are to be truly meaningful, since people differ in what is important to them and what they feel constitutes a better or worse condition. A counter-argument is that individuals may be so adaptable to a wide range 'This research was supported by Grant #BNS76-82529 from the National Science Foundation. I gratefully acknowledge comments on a draft of this paper by Frank Andrews, Regula Herzog, Tom Smith, Norval Glenn, and an anonymous referee. Some of the data utilized in this article were made available by the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. Additional data were kindly made available by Angus Campbell and Philip Converse, and by Joseph Veroff, Elizabeth Douvan, and Richard Kulka. The data were originally collected by the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan and by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Neither the original sources nor collectors of the data nor the ICPSR bear any responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here. t 1982 The University of North Carolina Press. 0037-7732/82/030826-42$01.70