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The happiest people in Singapore are baby boomers aged between 45 and 59 years old, a survey has found.

Young people aged from 18 to 29, on the other hand, are the unhappiest.

These were some of the key findings from the survey of 200 citizens and permanent residents conducted by a marketing communications agency, Grey Singapore.

The respondents were aged from 18 to over 60, and were representative of the local population in terms of age, gender and race. Almost 90 percent were Singaporeans. In June, they were surveyed on their level of contentment across a range of issues such as confidence in the economy and job satisfaction.

On the whole, some 52 percent of respondents indicated they were happy. About 27 percent were neutral about their state of satisfaction, and 22 percent reported they were unhappy.

The most satisfied group was the post-war baby boomer generation. They were happiest with where they lived, their closeness with family members, and their spirituality.

The least happy group were those between 18 and 29 years old.

The survey found they were the most disgruntled with their savings and expenditure in the past six months, and with their job satisfaction.

Lack of savings seemed to be a key concern among Singaporeans, with 46.5 percent expressing concern about this.

The following findings were also reported:

    •    Singaporeans are happiest about the area they live in, their relationship with their family, and their spirituality.
    

    •    The top reason for unhappiness among 30- to 44-year-olds is their work-life balance, with more than 18 per cent indicating they were very unhappy with this.
    

    •    Men are happier than women at work. Of the respondents, 24 percent of working women reported unhappiness with their work-life balance, as opposed to 18 percent of male workers.

The issue of happiness and how to measure it was brought up in Parliament last week, with MPs locking horns over claims that Singapore is too focused on economic progress, at the expense of citizens' happiness.

Opposition MP Sylvia Lim observed that headline figures on gross domestic product (GDP) growth mask the 'harsh realities' of certain groups of Singaporeans - such as the bottom fifth of households by income, or families hit by divorce.

MP Cedric Foo then questioned Ms Lim's choice of Bhutan as a model for Singapore to follow, pointing out that the landlocked Himalayan nation of 700,000 people has a per capita GDP of about US$2,000 (S$2,500), compared to Singapore's more than US$43,000.

When contacted and asked if Singapore should launch its own gross happiness index, Foo said happiness is too "elusive and subjective".

Rather, the Government should look beyond median income and work on improving the quality of life in other areas such as communal harmony and health, he said.

Meanwhile, some Singaporeans are not surprised by the survey results.

Said Alwin Zheng, 30, a self-employed consultant: "It is not really shocking that the baby boomers are most satisfied while those in the younger age group are less happy.

"The baby boomers have established themselves and are in a more secure place, while young adults now have to be concerned with their future in the face of a possible economic downturn."

The survey - the first of its kind carried out by Grey Singapore - will be conducted annually, and will be launched in other countries across Asia.

Reprinted courtesy of Straits Times Indonesia. To subscribe to Straits Times Indonesia and/or the Jakarta Globe call 021 2553 5055.