A survey of Britons has found that millennials are the least happy out of all age groups, with the baby-boomer generation being the happiest.
A study of 2,000 adults conducted by Galaxy Chocolate and reported by The Mirror found that while Britons aged over 55 rated their happiness as 6.9 out of 10, 25- to 34-year-olds were the age group which was the most unhappy, rating it at 5.9 out of 10.
The survey also looked at work and social life, finding that young adults spend less time socialising and more hours working overtime than over 55s, with 18- to 34-year-olds being twice as likely to cancel a social occasion because of work commitments compared to baby boomers. Britons already work the longest hours per week in the EU bar Greece, clocking in 42.5 hours per week.
The findings follow others that point to young people feeling increasingly unhappy. Last year, the Prince’s Trust released its UK Youth Index which revealed that people aged 16 to 25 were at their unhappiest in every single aspect of their lives since the survey began in 2009. The study, reported by The Guardian, found that one in four felt “hopeless”, while three out of five young people polled regularly feel stressed due to concerns over money and employment.
Another poll conducted last month found that nine in ten young people say their lives have no meaning or purpose, with 84 per cent saying they are failing to “live their best life”.
Statistics released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in early September showed that while men remain most at risk of committing suicide, there was a “significant increase” in the suicide rate of males aged 10 to 24. While in August, a study by the Children’s Society found that childhood happiness had fallen to its lowest level in a decade, while a report published in September revealed almost one-in-five bullied children had contemplated suicide.
A shift in the sense of wellbeing has accompanied a change in Britons’ spirituality and family structure. The British Attitudes Survey published in July found that fewer than four in ten (38 per cent) Britons identify as Christian, while just one per cent of 18- to 24-year-olds say they belong to the Church of England.
The ONS reported this month than just over half (50.5 per cent) of Britons were or have ever been married, with a large proportion of the decrease of those who have ever been married being those aged 20 to 34 years old. Last month, the ONS revealed that the birth rate in England and Wales was at its lowest level since records began — even lower than during World War Two.