POLL ANALYSES January 5, 2004
A Nation of Happy People Most are happy and satisfied with their lives
by Lydia Saad
GALLUP NEWS SERVICE
PRINCETON, NJ -- Happiness. As in, "life, liberty, and the pursuit of." The nation's founders considered happiness to be one of the ultimate objectives of life, so when Gallup asks Americans how happy they are it's no trivial matter.
Using the happiness standard, one would have to say the country is thriving. A Gallup Poll conducted Dec. 11-14 found a slight majority of Americans saying they are "very happy" and almost everyone saying they are at least "fairly happy." Only 4% admit to being unhappy.
[rest at <http://www.gallup.com/poll/releases/pr040105.asp>]