Aussies suffer midlife crunch

Adults 46 to 55 least satisfied

MIDDLE-AGED Aussies are in a midlife funk, squeezed between demanding kids and elderly parents, a new report has found.

The Australian Unity Wellbeing Index has found the socalled “sandwich generation” in their mid 40s to mid 50s are less satisfied than any other Aussie age group, particularly those aged 66 to 75.

Financial pressures, relationship breakdown, the cost of living and caring responsibilities mean this group is squeezed at both ends.

“The middle adult years are no doubt a time of added life pressure, when jobs may be at their most intense, costs of liv- ing at their highest and caring responsibilities both for children and potentially ageing parents at their most demanding,” the report’s author Dr Delyse Hutchinson, a senior research fellow in Deakin University’s School of Psychology, said.

The index shows Australian adults aged 46 to 55 have a satisfaction level of 73.3 out of 100, compared to 77.1 for those in their mid 60s to mid 70s, making them the happiest cohort of all.

Middle-aged people are also less happy than the younger generation, which has satisfaction levels of 75.5.

The survey of nearly 2000 Australians, which has been running for 16 years, shows around one in eight Austra- lians is struggling to get by.

“They are more likely to report relationship problems or be living on their own, more likely to report significant financial strain, and more likely to report a lack of achievement in life and connectedness to their community,” Dr Hutchinson said.

The results are consistent with findings over the 16-year history of the Australian Unity Wellbeing Index, which find individual subjective wellbeing is closely associated with three elements — financial security, a strong relationship and a sense of purpose.

The index has found a significant disparity between those who can pay off their credit card each month and those who cannot.