It’s true, there is a midlife crisis

The happiness gap

THE happiest Australians are young adults and those 66 and older, a new Deakin University study has found.

The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index shows such people have the three core elements needed for personal wellbeing: financial security, a strong relationship and a sense of purpose in life.

The index is based on a survey of 2000 people conducted by Deakin University’s Australian Centre on Quality of Life.

It found those aged 18 to 25 were happiest of all, but their satisfaction dipped markedly during midlife. From age 66 it starts to rise again, reaching peaks not seen since early adulthood.

This happiness is reflected in overall optimism about the future, Deakin University senior research fellow Delyse Hutchinson said.

“The Wellbeing Index survey shows people have a positive view of both their own and their children’s future financial position,” Dr Hutchinson said.

The index shows two in three Australians consider themselves financially better off than their parents were at the same age and 70 per cent of parents think their kids will end up as well off.

“We are likely to consider ourselves better off than our parents were at our age, and if we are a parent ourselves, we are likely to believe our children will be at least as well off in the future as we are now,” Dr Hutchinson said.

“Just one in four of us believe we have gone backwards financially in the last five years, with a similar low proportion expecting to be financially worse off in five years’ time,” she said.

Ivanhoe East student and cheerleader Ashley Martin, 21, says a number of things in her life make her happy.

“I have been doing cheerleading since I was 13 and I love it,” Ms Martin said.

“And I love being around people who are as outgoing as I am. I love travelling and that makes me happy.”

She is studying a bachelor of professional communication and is in a relationship with Jesse, also 21.

“We really like going out with friends and going into the city trying new bars and restaurants with groups of people,” she said.