Lonely in a Crowd: Cohort Size and Happiness in the United Kingdom

Abstract Studies have shown that happiness level varies significantly across birth cohorts and baby boomers are the unhappiest of all cohorts. Yet, we don’t know if this is due to their large cohort size negatively affecting happiness. We question whether people born in high fertility times unhappy because they suffer more from economic setbacks and/or social strains. Using 9 waves data European Social Survey United Kingdom Subset 2002–2018 ( N = 19,364) hierarchical age-period-cohort cross-classified models, analyze effects size, socioeconomic status, marital sociality on Cohort top three factors difference happiness, but status not. associated with Income, education, or employment not source unhappiness among Boomers. Besides being members a cohort, Boomers two known against odds: most likely separate divorce least socialize friends despite having number peers. disintegration deprivation, impoverishment, appears be culprit UK Baby