WELL, WE’RE GLAD YOU’RE ALL SO SATISFIED

They mope around in flannel shirts and torn jeans, sufferers of a terminal anomie that can only be articulated by Seattle rock bands. They’re aimless, shiftless, hopeless young malcontents, cynical beyond their years.

Is that your image of Generation X? If so, think again.

In a surprising finding of a nationwide Los Angeles Times Poll, American men and women 18 to 29 report as high, if not higher, a rate of satisfaction with life as any other age group. The post-adolescent set also outpaces all other age groups in feeling more satisfied than they did five years ago. And, not surprisingly, the vast majority feel they have more control over their lives now than half a decade ago, compared to baby boomers (37- to 50-year-olds) and retirees who worry that the opposite is happening. “People my age are starting to live away from their parents a bit more, get jobs earlier, get involved in adult life,” says Ryan Tyler, 21, a musician in Altoona, Penn. “And with that responsibility comes satisfaction. For me, it’s actually doing something with my life that makes me happy.”

Beyond his peer group, Tyler is part of a broader pattern showing Americans to be generally content with life, regardless of age, gender, region or income. Four out of five claim some degree of satisfaction with their lives, according to The Times Poll of 1,572 respondents last summer (the poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points). And nearly as many say they are equally or more satisfied than they were five years ago--good news for President Bill Clinton in this election year.

For women, a big factor has been the creation of new professional and family opportunities in recent years. “In my 20s and 30s,” says Ann Cecio, 48, a human resources director who lives on Staten Island, N.Y., “it was not acceptable for women to have successful careers. You always had to make $3 less than your husband. Now, more and more men are looking at women as equals.”

Of course, many are not satisfied about every little thing. Norma Weary at times tires of fretting over the economy and her uncertain place in it. “My personal life is perfect,” says the 37-year-old mother of two in Covington, La., outside of New Orleans. “It’s just the job security. You can never tell when your job might end.” For the past six years, Weary has worked full-time as a teacher’s aide in the local school system. Her husband is a mechanic who, she says, is more optimistic than she is.

In fact, the portrait of the angry, disenfranchised male who considers himself a helpless victim of a world spinning out of his control, may be in need of a make-over. Not only do 80% of men report a measure of contentment with their lives, but 72% feel that they exercise as much or even more control over their personal destinies than they did five years ago. “I couldn’t really ask for too much more,” declares Aaron Phillips, 37, a happily married family man and communications technician in San Miguel, Calif. “If I can keep on the same track, I’m sure I’m going to be more successful.” Two pursuits add up to fulfillment for Phillips: a rewarding career and raising children. Indeed, bringing up a family scores as one of the top life goals for respondents in all areas of the country (it was highest in the Midwest) and of all income levels (highest among those with yearly household incomes of $60,000 or more). Among all respondents, raising children tied as the No. 1 priority with being happily married.

Mores may be changing, however, especially among young people. While 48% of Gen X-ers rank children as one of their two chief aspirations--the highest proportion of any age group--only 26% of them include a happy marriage in the top two. Baby boomers, on the other hand, who grew up watching “Father Knows Best” and “Leave It to Beaver,” list children and marriage more equally, 35% and 39%, respectively.

Only 13% of 18- to 29-year-olds choose helping other people as a top goal--lower than any other age cohort. But there may yet be cause for hope: The impulse toward altruism seems to rise with age; baby boomers choose it 24% of the time and the elderly 34%. And Chris Pontius of Miami, the youngest of four siblings, who turned 30 last month, says: “I’ve been lucky enough to have everything. Others have not been as lucky, so you should try to help them out in some way.”

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Would you say you are satisfied or dissatisfied with the way your life is going these days?

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MALE FEMALE 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ ENTIRELY SATISFIED 23 22 31 22 17 24 MOSTLY SATISFIED 36 39 34 39 37 42 SOMEWHAT SATISFIED 21 17 19 18 22 16 SOMEWHAT DISSATISFIED 10 10 10 11 12 4 MOSTLY DISSATISFIED 5 5 6 6 4 3 ENTIRELY DISSATISFIED 3 5 0 3 6 5

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BOOMER N/BOOM L/$20K $20-40K $40-60K $60K+ ENTIRELY SATISFIED 19 25 15 22 29 25 MOSTLY SATISFIED 41 36 31 35 40 43 SOMEWHAT SATISFIED 15 21 18 21 16 22 SOMEWHAT DISSATISFIED 12 9 12 13 6 6 MOSTLY DISSATISFIED 6 4 12 5 3 1 ENTIRELY DISSATISFIED 5 3 10 3 2 2

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Thinking about the way things are going in your life these days, compared to five years ago, how much control do you feel you have over your life?

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MALE FEMALE 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ BOOMER N/BOOM MUCH MORE 34 38 60 36 25 18 29 39 SOME MORE 24 24 22 30 28 11 31 22 SOME LESS 20 12 11 14 19 24 16 17 MUCH LESS 7 7 2 9 8 6 10 5 SAME 14 18 4 11 19 37 14 16

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How satisfied are you with your life these days compared to five years ago?

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MALE FEMALE 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ BOOMER N/BOOM MUCH MORE 24 29 39 30 21 12 24 28 SOME MORE 28 24 30 29 27 14 31 24 EQUALLY 25 26 13 22 27 46 22 27 SOME LESS 15 13 15 12 14 18 14 14 MUCH LESS 8 6 3 7 11 5 8 6

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What would you say is your main goal in life?

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MALE FEMALE 18-29 30-44 45-64 65+ SUCCESSFUL CAREER 30 23 50 28 16 6 RAISE CHILDREN 30 35 48 42 20 12 BE HAPPILY MARRIED 35 30 26 42 34 23 HELP OTHERS 18 30 13 21 34 34 BE HAPPY 9 7 7 8 8 7 BE CREATIVE 7 6 5 8 7 5 BE FAMOUS 1 1 1 0 1 0 HAVE POWER 2 3 8 1 0 0 DO GOD’S WILL 2 3 2 3 1 4 HEALTH 1 4 0 0 4 10 FINANCIAL SECURITY 5 3 2 6 7 2

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BOOMER N/BOOM L/$20K $20-40K $40-60K $60K+ SUCCESSFUL CAREER 24 28 24 27 24 33 RAISE CHILDREN 35 32 30 30 33 41 BE HAPPILY MARRIED 39 30 19 31 40 35 HELP OTHERS 24 24 36 20 27 20 BE HAPPY 8 8 6 9 6 9 BE CREATIVE 8 6 8 6 7 6 BE FAMOUS 0 1 2 0 0 0 HAVE POWER 2 3 2 4 3 2 DO GOD’S WILL 2 2 4 2 2 1 HEALTH 1 3 4 2 2 2 FINANCIAL SECURITY 7 3 3 5 3 6

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