Seventy-seven percent of Americans are either extremely or somewhat happy, according to the 'America Says' survey by Directions Research. Meanwhile a report by Yankelovich suggests US parents are managing both to spend more time with their kids *and* make more time for themselves.
Directions says the major sources of happiness are love lives and immediate families. Nearly 60% say their love lives make them either extremely or somewhat happy while only 7% own up to being extremely unhappy with their love lives. 80% are either extremely or somewhat happy with their immediate family relationships, and only 2% extremely unhappy.
Forty percent are 'extremely or somewhat happy' with their careers; only 15% with co-workers; and only 9% with their current financial position. Predictably perhaps, government does not fare well: only 20% said they are extremely or somewhat happy with the Federal government while slightly more are happy with local government. However, 63% are 'extremely or somewhat happy' with their homes, 62% with their cars and 58% with their outlook for the future.
The survey is based on responses from 1,071 randomly selected Americans over the age of 18 with data collection by Greenfield Online (www.greenfield.com ). Results in detail are available at www.directionsresearch.com/files/AmericaSaysResults20064.pdf . Directions Research, Inc. is ranked 23 on the recent American Marketing Association 'Honomichl 50' list.
The survey by Yankelovich concludes that 'the parenting paradigm is undergoing a major shift, moving toward much greater involvement by parents in the lives of their children', partly through the determination of grown up 'latchkey children' to do things differently. At the same time, parents increasingly believe in making time for themselves because they 'have a right to live as well as they want, even if it means leaving less to their children'. The report, Parents Y*Report: Exploring the New Family Dynamic, also explores how parents balance personal goals and parenting responsibilities.
'Marketers must refresh their understanding of parents' according to John Page, Youth Insights Manager at Yankelovich, '- how parents have evolved - and continue to change'. Key demographic and attitudinal findings are:
All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.
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