An examination of happiness between race, gender and school classification: an echo boomer analysis

Abstract

Subjective well-being is often evaluated by happiness within specific domains such as marriage, family life, career, health, material goods and finance. Results of domain based investigations of may not translate to the younger echo boomer generation due to a lack of relevancy to their lifestyles. The purpose of this study was to examine subjective well-being across race, gender, and school classification among college students without domain classification. Volunteer participants received surveys that contained demographic questions and items assessing subjective happiness. Surveys were completed by 1,724 students and analysed statistically. Results showed significant differences in mean subjective happiness scores between race and school classification. No significant differences were found in mean subjective happiness scores between men and women. Findings suggest that the echo boomer generation differs from previous generations in subjective well-being across demographics.