Perception of happiness among elderly persons in metropolitan USA.

The relationships of some selected sociodemographic variables with perception of happiness among older individuals living in metropolitan areas in the United States were examined. Data from the General Social Surveys for the ten years between 1982-1991 were analyzed. Seven sociodemographic variables, six social participation variables, and six attitudinal variables covering the six domains of life were considered independent variables with perception of happiness as the dependent variable. Analysis of variance indicated that race, marital status, education, financial status, and religious attendance were significantly related to perception of happiness and the six attitudinal variables increased the total variance accounted for in perceived well-being.