Boomers are the happiest, but happiness in Australia is down
Australians are generally happy, but over the long term we are less happy than we were 14 years ago, according to the findings of a new 30-country study for International Day of Happiness on 20 March, looking at how happy people are and what makes us happy and unhappy.
Key Australian findings
- Most Australians are happy. On average 71% say they are happy with 29% unhappy. This is in line with the global average. In Australia our happiness levels remain unchanged over the past 12 months.
- However, long term Australians are less happy. Ipsos has been tracking global happiness since 2011 and like many around the globe we are less happy than we were 14 years ago (down 15%).
- Boomers are happiest. Three in four Boomers report being happy (75%), while Gen X are least likely to be happy (65%).
- Not enough money brings unhappiness. Across generations and income levels, Australians agree that “my financial situation” is the biggest cause of unhappiness. Of those who are unhappy, 62% say their finances cause them to feel this way, while only 21% say their financial situation makes them happy.
- Mental health and wellbeing also a driver of unhappiness. In Australia this is the second biggest factor at 41% of unhappiness. Interestingly, females (46%) are much more likely to say this than males (37%)
- Family and feeling loved is what makes us happy. “My family and children” (33%) and “feeling appreciated/loved” (34%) and “my friends” (30%) are viewed as the biggest reasons people are happy.
Ipsos Australia Director, David Elliott, said: “Back in 2023 we were somewhat startled to see Australia fall out of the top group of countries in relation to happiness. However, we weren’t surprised to see happiness fall given this was when cost of living and inflation were really starting to bite.
“However, we then dropped another nine points in 2024 and have remained at the level this year. Having people confirm the role of their ‘financial situation’ in driving unhappiness is helpful and it highlights that our happiness levels aren’t likely to increase rapidly while cost of living, interest rates, and housing costs remain key concerns for Australians.”
Key global findings
- Most people are happy. On average across 30 countries 71% say they are happy with 29% unhappy. Happiness is highest in India (88%) and the Netherlands (86%), while Hungary (45%) and Türkiye (49%) is where happiness is lowest.
- However, long term we are getting less happy. Ipsos has been tracking global happiness since 2011 and of the 20 countries in that first survey, 15 are less happy than 14 years ago. Türkiye has seen the biggest decline in happiness (-40 percentage points), followed by South Korea (-21pp), Canada (-18pp) and the United States (-16pp).
- We are happiest in old age. People in their 60s and 70s are the most likely to say they are happy (75% and 76% respectively), while those in their 50s are the least happy (68%).
- Not enough money brings unhappiness. Across generations, income levels and countries, people agree that “my financial situation” is the biggest cause of unhappiness. Of those who are unhappy, 58% say their finances cause them to feel this way, while only 24% say their financial situation makes them happy.
- Family and feeling loved is what makes us happy. “My family and children” and “feeling appreciated/loved” are viewed as the two biggest reasons people are happy. However, unlike what makes us unhappy, there is less agreement on happiness. Older generations are more likely to say family makes them happy, while younger generations believe feeling appreciated brings them joy.
