63% of Canadians are "pretty happy" with their lives: survey

A new Angus Reid survey suggests most Canadians are satisfied with their lives, with two-thirds saying they’re “pretty happy” overall.

Survey participants were given three options to rate their life satisfaction: very happy, pretty happy, and not too happy. The majority chose the in-between option, while the other two extremes were pretty evenly divided.

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Baby boomers – those aged 55 and up – were the most likely to report feeling “very happy” or “pretty happy.”

The “golden oldies,” as the Angus Reid survey calls them, largely own their homes, are satisfied with their finances, and are heading into retirement. Many even report saying they feel younger than their age.

Loneliness was a contributing factor to many Canadians’ lack of satisfaction in their lives. The second group, the “lonely hearts,” were satisfied with their lives overall, but only a quarter of them were happy with their love lives.

Those with kids report feeling satisfied with their love lives and their relationships, but are stressed out and have precarious finances.

Finally, there’s the unhappy group, a representation of about one in five Canadians, who aren’t happy with any aspects of their lives.

People in B.C. appear to be the second happiest group in Canada, however. A solid 20% of people in the province consider themselves “very happy,” only edged out by Quebec in first place with 22%.

Atlantic Canada had the lowest number of people saying they were “very happy,” at only 9%.

Image: Angus Reid

Canadians overall seem to be satisfied with relationships in their lives. When it comes to familial relationships, 83% consider themselves satisfied, but when it comes to love lives, that number drops to 64%.

Unsurprisingly, older Canadians are satisfied with their finances, while younger Canadians were the most likely to report feeling worried. Around 70% of those married with children are worried they won’t have enough money socked away for retirement.

Read the full report here.