A new Pew Research Center poll reveals something that’s not new at all: married people are happier than singles.
In the most recent poll, 43 percent of people who are married reported being happy, compared with just 24 percent of singles. Even in spite of the beating marriage has taken in recent years, this number is as true now as it was a generation ago. The results were exactly the same for women as for men.
The Pew happiness study didn’t confine it’s focus only to marriage.
Here are some other interesting findings:
Money may not buy happiness but it does reflect it. The percentage of people reporting being happy rose consistently with income level.
Health was also a reliable predictor, with the satisfaction level directly tied to how healthy the individual reported being.
Ideology also tracked with happiness, with 40 percent of conservatives being happy, compared to 33 percent of moderates and 27 percent of those identifying themselves as liberal
Those who regularly attend church at least once a week are significantly more happy than those who attend once a month or less
Blacks are less happy than whites or Hispanics, but interestingly money was not a reliable predictor of happiness among blacks
Employment was not a predictor of happiness among women, but men who were unemployed were significantly less happy than those who held jobs
The less rushed, the more happy. About 42 percent of those who said they were almost never rushed reported being happy, compared with 24 percent of those who felt they were always hurried
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