Americans Satisfied With the Lives They Lead

[GaryC 7]

Majority Say Things Have Improved in Past Five Years, Even Stronger Majority Expects Things to Improve in Next Five Years

Overall, Americans are definitely satisfied with the life they lead. Almost all (94%) say they are satisfied, with over half of U.S. adults (56%) saying they are very satisfied with the life they lead and 38 percent somewhat satisfied. Just six percent are not satisfied with the life they lead. This level of satisfaction is up slightly from earlier this decade: in 2005, nine out of ten were satisfied and in 2003, 91 percent were satisfied with the life they led.

While this overall satisfaction with life is across all age groups, there is a generational difference with the level of satisfaction. Echo Boomers (those aged 18-30) are evenly split with 48 percent saying they are very satisfied and 47 percent who are somewhat satisfied. Matures (those aged 62 and older), on the other hand, are clearly of a different mind as over two-thirds (69%) are very satisfied while just one-quarter (24%) are somewhat satisfied with the life they are leading.

This Harris Poll was conducted by telephone by Harris Interactive among a nationwide cross section of 1,010 U.S. adults between July 10 and 16, 2007.

Looking Back Five Years

When comparing their present situation with five years ago, over half (54%) of adults say their situation has improved while one-quarter (28%) say it has stayed about the same and 17 percent say it has gotten worse. The number of those who say their lives have improved is about the same as in 2005 (56%) and still up from 2003’s 49 percent.

Where one lives is a definite indicator of how the past five years has treated them. Southerners and Westerners are more likely to say that their lives have improved (60% and 62% respectively) while half of Midwesterners (49%) and only 42 percent of Easterners say their lives have improved in the past five years. While Echo Boomers and Generation Xers (those aged 31-42) are more likely to say their lives have improved (66% and 71% respectively), Matures are not of the same mind. Just one-quarter (27%) of this generation say their lives improved in the past five years while over half (52%) say it has stayed about the same.

Looking Ahead Five Years

If things have gotten better in the past five years, Americans expect things to be even better in the next five years. Three in five (62%) say expect their personal situation to improve in the next five years while three in ten (30%) say they expect it will stay the same and just 7 percent expect it to get worse. The number of those who expect things to stay the same is the highest it has been – in 2003, 26 percent said things would stay the same while in 2005, just 22 percent felt this way.

There are again strong regional and generational differences in life expectations. Westerners are by far the most optimistic as over two-thirds (68%) say things will improve while just 56 percent of Easterners feel this way. Also, the younger you are, the better you feel about the future. Well over four in five of Echo Boomers (85%) and 82 percent of Gen Xers feel their personal situation will improve compared to just 58 percent of Baby Boomers (those aged 43-61). Matures are of a completely different mind in looking ahead as just under one-quarter (23%) expect their personal situation to improve while over half (58%) say things will stay about the same and 18 percent feel it will get worse.

So What?

When asked about the country, people do not feel things in the United States are going well as just 19 percent say things in the country are moving in the right direction. But, when asked about their personal lives, not only are they satisfied, they’ve become more so in the past five years and expect to be things to be even better five years from now. People not only can, but are separating out the negativity they feel in the country as a whole, and are still content with where they personally are with their lives.

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/

[Jasman0717 9]

I would be even more satisfied if I were retired and became a world traveler and golfer extrodinare

[almaty 19]

I would be even more satisfied if I were retired and became a world traveler and golfer extrodinare

sounds like you need to find a Genie, to grant you those 3 wishes brother jim

[mawilson 2,133]

I would be even more satisfied if I were retired and became a world traveler and golfer extrodinare

sounds like you need to find a Genie, to grant you those 3 wishes brother jim

Maybe Claudette is a closetClaudette genie?

[almaty 19]

I would be even more satisfied if I were retired and became a world traveler and golfer extrodinare

sounds like you need to find a Genie, to grant you those 3 wishes brother jim

Maybe Claudette is a closetClaudette genie?

a..a... it is sister Claudeth..and she is a Genie..just ask my brother Jim about his evenings at home

[Sheriff Uling 3]

I'm sure that illegals are also satisfied with the lives they lead here in America. Where is that poll?

[Jasman0717 9]

I would be even more satisfied if I were retired and became a world traveler and golfer extrodinare

sounds like you need to find a Genie, to grant you those 3 wishes brother jim

1288 days and counting my brother Dean, 1288 days!

[Mononoke28 135]

I'm sure that illegals are also satisfied with the lives they lead here in America. Where is that poll?

I was and that's why I'm still here. Now that I'm legal it's just as satisfying.

[almaty 19]

I would be even more satisfied if I were retired and became a world traveler and golfer extrodinare

sounds like you need to find a Genie, to grant you those 3 wishes brother jim

1288 days and counting my brother Dean, 1288 days!

you lucky #######, as i am...

[isleta521 5]

Yes,

One satisfied American

[Peikko 1,575]

I think this was designed to make you believe that under the present government, things are just dandy domestically so we should vote for another Republican president...I could be wrong though.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I don't know about everyone else, but my life is going very well. I have a new job which pays great and is close to home. It was rough for a while but my manager is gone and her replacement is much better. My wife found a new job two weeks after a layoff, she starts soon.

The only blemish is the fact that my neighborhood is going downhill. Big picture, that doesn't matter. I'm doing well and my wife is doing well - what more can I ask for?

For those who think that's a commentary on the Bush economy, I don't think so. I was in college for most of the Clinton years so I missed all that dotcomboom bounty.

[Heracles 417]

The only blemish is the fact that my neighborhood is going downhill.

Which seems to be a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuggggggggeeeeee problem in the US.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

You think so?

The neighborhood is changing. The pool has a lot of kids now. When I moved here, this was all young DINK couples. Today there are many more families. One of those families has young men who bring their problematic friends with them. If that family was gone, I think a lot of the problems would go away.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Does this mean that bigger government can be good?