Life-Course and Satisfaction, Equal for Everyone?

Since 1974 the Dept of Social Statistics of the Netherlands Central Bureau of Statistics has carried out regular Quality of Life Surveys to give an integrative view of aspects of daily life of the respondents (Rs) & their evaluation of these aspects. Here, results of the surveys of 1974, 1977, 1980, & 1983 (N = approximately 3,000 Rs) are used to describe life satisfaction among 4 hypothetical cohorts. Findings identify a general course of development in life satisfaction, regardless of generation or period. While this result might be explained by the fact that important life events are concentrated in certain periods of a person's life, statistically, this represents a small portion of the life course. 1 Table, 2 Figures, 14 References. Modified HA