Teens are happy!
Categories: Teens & tweens, Development, In the news, Media
Pay no attention to those surly looks and exaggerated sighs. A new study finds that despite what some would have you believe, teens are mostly happy. The study, conducted by OTX Research, finds that most teens (81%) say that they are at least somewhat happy with their lives in general and 36% say they are very happy.
750 kids aged 13 to 17 were surveyed about their feelings regarding their personal relationships, appearance and abilities. What is most surprising about the results is that while teens are somewhat preoccupied with they way they look, they derive the most happiness from personal relationships. When asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 which areas of their lives brought them the most happiness, 85% put relationships with friends at the top of the list. A close second at 80% was their own talents and abilities.
As far as physical appearances, only 68% reported being happy with their looks in real life. This is compared to 78% who think they look good online at social networking sites such as MySpace. Thank you, Photoshop. But do teens really think looking good is the most important thing? According to this survey, more than half of them do not. 69% believe it is more important to feel good than to look good and 68% would rather be told they have a great personality than be considered 'hot'. I think those numbers are encouraging.
The survey was done from a marketing perspective and is intended to assist those who would like to sell things to our kids. But there is good information here for parents trying to get inside the head of the mysterious teenager.
750 kids aged 13 to 17 were surveyed about their feelings regarding their personal relationships, appearance and abilities. What is most surprising about the results is that while teens are somewhat preoccupied with they way they look, they derive the most happiness from personal relationships. When asked to rate on a scale of 1 to 5 which areas of their lives brought them the most happiness, 85% put relationships with friends at the top of the list. A close second at 80% was their own talents and abilities.
As far as physical appearances, only 68% reported being happy with their looks in real life. This is compared to 78% who think they look good online at social networking sites such as MySpace. Thank you, Photoshop. But do teens really think looking good is the most important thing? According to this survey, more than half of them do not. 69% believe it is more important to feel good than to look good and 68% would rather be told they have a great personality than be considered 'hot'. I think those numbers are encouraging.
The survey was done from a marketing perspective and is intended to assist those who would like to sell things to our kids. But there is good information here for parents trying to get inside the head of the mysterious teenager.
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