Recent Poll Shows that Americans who Believe in God are Happier
By Movieguide® Contributor
The Wall Street Journal-NORC conducted a poll that researched the happiness of Americans. The research showed that majority of Americans are not happy.
A whopping 12% of Americans said they were “very happy,” however, just a few years ago the number was 30%. Additionally, the total number of people who are unhappy has sky-rocketed in just a few years.
The study revealed three factors that attributed to people’s happiness: community, age, and religion.
In fact, over two-thirds of those in the poll stated that their happiness was largely credited to their “belief in God” because it was “very important” to them. Those two-thirds who said they were “very happy” also said that their marriage played a large factor. In addition, forty percent of those who said they were “very happy” put an emphasis on “community involvement.”
Psychology Professor from Amherst College, Catherine Sanderson stated that other than close relationships, religious beliefs “give people a sense of meaning.”
Moving from the “very happy” group to the “pretty happy” group there was a significant decline in belief in God. Same goes for the “pretty happy” group to the “not happy” group. Therefore, the trend between faith and happiness largely relate to one another.
Also, those with strong beliefs typically place a higher priority on close relationships which was another trait that largely contributed to their happiness.
The Harvard Study of Adult Development found that men and their families tend to have higher levels of happiness when they have close relationships with one or two people.
Lastly, the “very happy” group tended to have a higher age level than others, which also generally has a connection to religious devotion and church presence.
Pew Research found that 70% of Americans 65 and older believe in God with no doubts whereas only 51% of Americans between 18 and 29 do.
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