Washington – Today’s young people have a complicated relationship with money, dismissing it as a paramount source of happiness yet conceding its power over them.
Money is nowhere near the top of the list when they are asked what makes them happiest. Friends and family are their chief pleasures, followed by God, pets and pastimes like listening to music.
But money can certainly help, according to an extensive poll by The Associated Press and MTV. And a lack of it – and the pressures such a cavity can cause – can sure make their lives unhappy.
The survey of the nation’s young people found only 1 percent name money as the thing that gives them the most joy. Twenty percent name spending time with family, and 15 percent cited friends.
Yet financial issues are among several problems atop the pile of things they say make them most unhappy. And while a majority are happy with the amount of money they and their families have, money ranks as their fourth-highest source of stress.
“I want to have a family when I grow up and be able to support it,” said 18-year-old Theresa Paoletti of Spencerport, N.Y., a college student battling money problems since getting a car two years ago. “If I don’t get rich, I won’t complain, but it’s always nice to have money.”
Forty-nine percent say they would be happier if they had more money, but the same amount say additional money would leave them about as happy as they already are.
Five percent of whites, 8 percent of blacks and 15 percent of Hispanics put money at the top of their unhappiness list.
Fifty-five percent of males name it as their greatest source of woe, 10 percentage points more than females.
The AP-MTV poll was conducted by Knowledge Networks Inc. from April 16 to 23 and involved online interviews with 1,280 people ages 13 to 24. It had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
