Honors College Theses
An Examination of Happiness between Race, Gender, and School Classification: An Echo Boomer Analysis
Publication Date
2016
Major
Exercise Science (B.S.)
Document Type and Release Option
Thesis (restricted to Georgia Southern)
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Daniel Czech
Abstract
Subjective well-being is often evaluated by happiness within specific domains such as marriage, family life, career, health, material goods, and finance. Many empirical studies find that within these domains, happiness varies across certain demographics. It is generally reported that Caucasians in America experience higher scores of life satisfaction and happiness, particularly in domains of career and finance (Beatty & Tuch, 1997; Krause, 1998; Zullig, Huebner, & Pun, 2009; Plagnol & Easterlin, 2008). Subjective well-being across gender seems to vary greatly with domains and age (Plagnol, & Easterlin, 2008; Stevenson, & Wolfers, 2009). While these studies contribute to understanding the relationship between happiness and certain demographics, the results may not translate to the younger generations due to a lack of relevancy to their lifestyles. The purpose of this study is to examine subjective well-being across race, gender, and school classification among college students without the focus on any specific domains. A quantitative, cross-sectional descriptive research design was employed for this study. Students were recruited from 156 sections of physical activity courses at a midsize southeastern United States university. Surveys were completed by 1,154 students via the course's online learning management system. The results were analyzed and no statistically significant differences were detected for any of the three demographic variables.
Recommended Citation
Carmichael, Kaitlyn E., "An Examination of Happiness between Race, Gender, and School Classification: An Echo Boomer Analysis" (2016). Honors College Theses. 222.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/honors-theses/222
