美國年輕人：家人是幸福的關鍵
Poll: Family ties key to youth happiness
So you're between the ages of 13 and 24. What makes you happy?
So you're between the ages of 13 and 24. What makes you happy?
Spending time with family was the top answer to that open-ended question, according to an extensive survey -- more than 100 questions asked of 1,280 people ages 13-24 -- conducted by The Associated Press on the nature of happiness among America's young people.
Next was spending time with friends, followed by time with a significant other. And good news for parents: Nearly three-quarters of young people say their relationship with their parents makes them happy.
"They're my foundation," says Kristiana St. John, 17, a high-school student from Queens in New York. "My mom tells me that even if I do something stupid, she's still going to love me no matter what. Just knowing that makes me feel very happy and blessed."
Other results are more disconcerting. While most young people are happy overall with the way their lives are going, there are racial differences: the poll shows whites to be happier than blacks and Hispanics. A lot of young people feel stress, particularly those from the middle class, and females more than males.
You might think money would be clearly tied to a general sense of happiness. But almost no one said "money" when asked what makes them happy, though people with the highest family incomes are generally happier with life. However, having highly educated parents is a stronger predictor of happiness than income.
And sex? Yes, we were getting to that. Being sexually active actually leads to less happiness among 13-17 year olds, according to the survey. If you're 18 to 24, sex might lead to more happiness in the moment, but not in general.
Overwhelmingly, young people think marriage would make them happy and want to be married some day. Most also want to have kids.
Finally, when asked to name their heroes, nearly half of respondents mentioned one or both of their parents. The winner, by a nose: Mom.
如果你在13歲至24歲之間，什麼能帶給你快樂？
一項大規模調查表明，對於這個開放式問題，最多的回答就是“與家人在一起”。該項由美聯社開展的有關美國年輕人“快樂本質”的調查共涉及100多個問題，共有1280個13歲至24歲之間的年輕人蔘加。
其次的回答是“與朋友在一起”，然後是“與重要的人在一起”。令父母欣慰的是，近四分之三的年輕人認爲與父母的關係是他們是否快樂的重要因素。
紐約皇后區的17歲高中生克里斯蒂安娜•聖約翰說：“父母是我的根本。媽媽告訴我，即便我做了什麼傻事，她也會一如既往的愛我。這讓我感到很幸福、很快樂。”
該調查的其它結果令人擔憂。大多數年輕人認爲自己的生活總體上比較幸福，但同時存在着一些種族上的差異。調查顯示，白人比黑人和美籍西班牙人幸福。很多年輕人感到壓力很大，中產階級的年輕人尤其如此；女性比男性的壓力大。
你可能會認爲金錢一定能帶來幸福感。儘管家庭收入最高的人普遍來說幸福感更強，但在被問及“什麼能帶來快樂”時，幾乎沒有人回答說“金錢”。然而，擁有高學歷的父母比收入高更能帶來幸福。
性呢？好，現在我們來說說這個。據調查，性行爲活躍會降低13歲至17歲之間青少年的幸福感。對於18歲至24歲的年青人來說，性可能會給你帶來幸福，但並非每個人都如此。
絕大多數年輕人認爲婚姻會讓他們幸福，並且希望將來能結婚生子。
最後，當調查對象被要求說出自己心目中的“英雄”時，近一半的人提到父母中的一人或雙親。“母親”以微弱優勢“獲勝”。
by a nose: 以微弱優勢
