Teens top survey of life satisfaction among Canadians
Last Updated: Thursday, June 25, 2009 | 2:31 PM ET
CBC News
Canadians generally seem to be happy, with 91 per cent reporting they were satisfied or very satisfied with life last year, Statistics Canada said Thursday.
Young adults aged 12 to 19 reported the highest rate of life satisfaction — a personal subjective assessment of well-being — at 94 per cent.
But the daily stresses of life seem to take their toll with age and increased responsibility. Those reporting the highest stress levels were in the working-age groups of 35 to 44 and 45 to 54, those most likely to be juggling careers and family responsibilities.
Among Canadians who reported their days were quite a bit or very stressful, many still seemed to take it in stride: 82 per cent of this group also said they were satisfied or very satisfied with life.
For seniors, 10 per cent said they found their days stressful.
There were no differences between men and women in their reported levels of life satisfaction, the agency said.
The Statistics Canada report also looked at mood disorders.
In 2008, 6.8 per cent of Canadians aged 12 or older reported that they had been diagnosed with a mood disorder such as depression, bipolar disorder or mania. This was up from 5.3 per cent in 2003.
Overall, women were more likely than men to report a diagnosed mood disorder: 8.5 per cent compared with 5.0 per cent.
