Politics
Monday August 20, 2007
Family is Key to Happiness, NOT Money and Sex Says New Survey of Youth
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By Elizabeth O'Brien
NEW YORK, August 20, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A recent survey indicates that young people view human relationships, most especially family ties, as the greatest cause of happiness in life, ABC News reports.
The survey, which was conducted by Knowledge Networks Inc. for the Associated Press and MTV, took place from April 16 to 23 and interviewed 1,280 people between the ages of 13 and 24. Using online interviews, the survey asked over 100 questions relating to the nature of happiness for American young people.
Participants were asked an open-ended question about what gives happiness, and the hands-down winning answer (given by 20% of young people) was "spending time with family." In fact a total of 73% said that their relationship with their parents makes them happy. This coincides with another question which found that 64% of 13 to 17 year olds whose parents are still together wake up happy in the morning. This is nearly 20% higher than the children of divorces.
Referring to her family, 17-year old high school student Kristiana St. John stated, "They're my foundation. My mom tells me that even if I do something stupid, she's still going to love me no matter what. Just knowing that makes me feel very happy and blessed."
The second most popular answer to the open-ended happiness question was "spending time with friends" followed by "spending time with a significant other." A total of 92% said that they definitely or possibly wanted to get married, and most wanted to have children as well.
The survey found, however, that being sexually active generally causes unhappiness in 13 to 17 year olds. Even between the ages of 18 and 24, sex may lead to temporary happiness but generally causes unhappiness.
When asked about faith, 55% percent said that religion is either "a very important part of life" or the "single most important thing" in life. People who have a religion or some kind of spirituality tend to be happier as well.
Those who come from a wealthier home are usually happier. Nevertheless, when asked the opened ended question about what causes happiness, almost no one mentioned money. Young people were equally split about whether money would make them happier -49% said yes and 49% said no.
Finally, when asked who their hero was, 10% stated "God", 5% mentioned a teacher, but nearly 50% said one or both of their parents. Of these, the top winner was "Mom".
Read related LifeSiteNews report:
Massive Survey of Mothers Finds Marriage Makes for Wealth and Happiness http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/may/05050502.html
Read more extensive ABC News reports:
http://www.abcnews.go.com/US/WireStory?id=3499089&page=1
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase out Lab Rats
- Ohio Supreme Court Allows Planned Parenthood to Conceal Abortion Records in Sexual Abuse Case
- LifeSiteNews Canada Day and Independence Day Message. Taking a few days off. LSN returns Monday July 6
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Pro-Life Groups Announce New Colorado Personhood Initiative
- Judge Puts Kibosh on DC Gay "Marriage" Referendum
- Al Franken Win Hands Supermajority to Senate Democrats
- Group Funded by Canadian Bishops' D&P Joins with Others to Denounce the "Natural Family" and "Family Rights"
- Financially Troubled Planned Parenthood of El Paso Closes Doors
- Abortion Linked to Subsequent Pre-Term Births, New Research Again Confirms
- New Orleans Homosexual Couple Ask Fed. Court to Overturn Marriage Amendment
- Slim Hope Of New Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Leader Promoting Pro-Life, Pro-Family Issues
- Pope Accepts Resignation of Bishop Caught Involved in Homosexual Encounters
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Northern Ireland Politician Cleared of Wrongdoing after Reiterating Christian Teaching on Homosexual Acts
- UK Conservative Leader Speaks at Gay Pride Fundraiser
- More Letters to the Editor on Canadian Catholic Development and Peace Scandal (July 1)
- Letters to the Editor - Readers Respond to Development and Peace Scandal
- Watch This Dramatic New Video on Catholic Bishops Conference Funding of Pro-Abortion Groups
Most Read this Week
- Homosexual Duke U. Director Charged with Offering Adopted 5-Year-Old for Sex
- Famed Fr. Corapi Calls Canadian Bishops' Dissent from Humanae Vitae "Catastrophic"
- Pope: It is a Childish Faith to Oppose the Church Teaching on Life and Family
- LifeSiteNews Detailed Response to Canadian Bishops' Whitewash Report on Development and Peace
- Is Pro-Choice the New Pro-Life?
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase Out Lab Rats
- Swedish Parents Won't Tell if Child is Boy or Girl as Gender Experiment
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.