Happy news

The Harris Poll’s annual Happiness Index shows that one third (33%) of Americans this year are very happy which is the same as 2010 and slightly down from the 35% who were very happy in both 2008 and 2009.

Results of the poll were from a survey of 2,184 U.S. adults surveyed online between May 9 and 16, 2011 by Harris Interactive.

The Harris Happiness Index is calculated by asking Americans if they agree or disagree with a list of statements, some positive and others negative. Those who say they strongly agree with all of the positive statements, such as "my relationships with friends bring me happiness", "I rarely worry about my health" and "at this time, I’m generally happy with my life" and strongly disagree with all of the negative ones, such as "I frequently worry about my financial situation" and "I rarely engage in hobbies and pastimes I enjoy" are those who are considered very happy.

This year Harris also asked a few questions slated to be asked throughout the U.K. later in the year, and when directly questioned "overall, how happy did you feel yesterday?", fully 33% of Americans said they felt very happy, the same percentage calculated to be very happy by our Index.

“Although according to the Happiness Index only a third of Americans are very happy, data from the U.K.’s straight-forward questions show that eight in ten Americans are happy (81%), a number which includes those who are very happy (33%) and those who are somewhat happy (50%),” Harris noted in its report. “What this shows is that with all the economic woes and all the other issues swirling around Americans today, people aren’t unhappy.”

OTHER POLL RESULTS
• As has been the trend since 2009, men seem to be getting less happy, as 31% are very happy this year, down from 32% last year and 34% in 2009 and women appear to be slightly happier than they were last year (36% vs. 35%) and overall happier than men.

• White Americans remain at 32% very happy which was the case last year, while African Americans show an increase in happiness this year, from 40% who were very happy last year to 44% this year. Hispanics are now less happy than they were last year (35% vs. 39%) yet they remain happier overall than White Americans, as they have since 2009.

• While it’s not surprising that those in the highest income bracket, earning $100K or more per year, are the happiest group (37%), it is interesting that the least happy are those who earn just slightly less, between $75K and $99.9K per year (29% very happy).

• Older Americans remain happier than those younger, as has been the case in all previous years — approximately two in five of those 50-64 years and 65 years and older are very happy (37% and 42%) compared to three in ten of all younger groups (between 29% and 31%).

• Those with more education are happier than those with less as 35% or more who have graduated from college are very happy, compared to only 32% who have never attended.

• Two-thirds of U.S. adults strongly agree that they have positive relationships with their family (66%) and over half say their relationships with friends bring them happiness (59%). The greater the support network, the more joy one has in their lives.