Happiness & Life Satisfaction

Conrad Hackett, associate director for research and senior demographer, discusses why we studied the relationship between religion and happiness, health and civic engagement.

In many countries, actively religious people are more likely than their less-religious peers to describe themselves as very happy.

People who are active in religious congregations tend to be happier and more civically engaged than either religiously unaffiliated adults or inactive members of religious groups, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of survey data from the United States and more than two dozen other countries.

While the share of Americans who say they are lonely all or most of the time is small, the share rises significantly for some groups.

Partisan differences are modest among Americans who mention family, career, money or friends as aspects that make their lives meaningful.

Four topics are universally associated with higher levels of life satisfaction: a person’s good health, romantic partner, friends and career.

We asked thousands of Americans where they find meaning in life. Their responses were rich, thoughtful and varied.

Family is the most common source of meaning in America, but economic, religious and political divides shape where people find meaning in other aspects of life.

At the same time, the contours of connectivity are shifting: One-in-five Americans (20%) are now ‘smartphone only’ internet users at home.