Bachman et al. (1978): study US 1966

Publication

Author(s):

Bachman, J.G.; Johnston, J.; O'Malley, P.M.

Title:

Youth in Transition, Vol. VI. Adolescence to Adulthood. Change and Stability in the Lives of Young Men.

Source:

Institute for Social Research, 1978, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA

Investigation

Public

Public highschool boys followed 8 years from grade 10, USA, 1966-74

Sample

Respondents

N = 1628

Non Response

2.8% at T1, 17.2% at T2, 21.0% at T3, 28.9% at T4, 28.5% at T5

Assessment

Multiple assesment methods
Interviews, tests and questionnaires

Happiness Measure(s) and Distributional Findings

Full text:

Self report on 6 questions:

" Describe the kind of person you are. Please read each sentence, then mark how often it is true for you"
1  I feel like smiling
2  I generally feel in good spirits
3  I feel happy
4  I am very satisfied with life
5  I find a good deal of happiness in life
6  I feel sad

Response options:
5   almost always true
4   often true
3   sometimes true
2   seldom true
1   never true

Summation: average
Possible range: 1 to 5

Classification:

O-HP-g-mq-v-5-a

Author's label:

Happiness

Error estimates:

Reliability: Overtime correlations (r): T1 T2 T3 T4 T1 T2 +.54 T3 +.45 +.61 T4 +.43 +.54 +.61 Validity:

Correlational Findings

Author's label Subject Description Finding Later education attained Later educational level Later job status Later occupation Later employment Later (un)employment Later pay Later level of income Later job satisfaction Later satisfaction with work Prestige of (later) college Later school-environment
Later school level Level of (later) college Later intelligence
Later schooling
Later competences
Later school success (Later) military service Later military life Later marital status Later entering of marriage Later parental status Actually got children later (follow-up) Urbanicity of later dwelling Size of urban setting Father's occupation Parents occupation Parent's education Parents education Possesions in home Parents wealth
Possessions in family of origin Number of books in home Parents education Number of rooms per person in home Earlier housing
Parents wealth Number of siblings Number of siblings Lived with both parents Number of parents (broken home)
One parent family Parental punitiveness Punitive
Earlier victimization (ever victimized) Attendance of black segregated school Earlier school-environment
Ethnic homogeneity of school Attendance of integrated school Earlier school-environment
Ethnic homogeneity of school Geographic region Region in USA
Earlier region of residence Raised on farm Rural upbringing Intelligence Earlier intelligence
Test-intelligence Repeated grade School-success
Doubled a class Average grade School-success
Earlier school success
Later school success Number of hours of homework Involvement in school-work
Earlier time spend on home work
Later time spend on homework Rebellious behavior in school Misbehavior in school Having plans to go to college Educational aspirations
Earlier attitudes to school
Later attitudes to school Interest in courses Earlier attitudes to school
Later attitudes to school
Attitudes to school Self-percieved school ability Earlier intelligence
Later intelligence
Self-perceived intelligence
Verbal ability
School-success Does best work in school Involvement in school-work
Earlier motivation
Later motivation
Achievement motivation Works harder than average Involvement in school-work Self-esteem Earlier self-image
Later self-image Need for self- development Earlier need for self-actualization
Self-actualization (need for)
Later need for self-actualization Need for self- utilization Earlier need for self-actualization
Self-actualization (need for) Somatic symptoms Earlier psycho-somatic complaints
Later psycho-somatic complaints
Current psycho-somatic complaints Impulse to aggression Earlier aggression
Later aggression
Aggressive, angry Trust in government Attitudes to government
Trust in government
Later trust in government
Earlier trust in government Interest in government Political concern
Earlier political interest
Later political interest Preference for 'a job that pays off' Preferred work-conditions
Achievement motivation
Earlier preferences
Later preferences Preference for 'a job that doesn't bug me' Preferred work-conditions
Pleasure seeking
Earlier preferences
Later preferences Ambitious job attitude Aspirations for social advancement
Reasons for working
Achievement motivation
Earlier preferred work conditions
Earlier achievement motivation
Later achievement motivation Status of aspired occupation Reasons for working
Status motivation
Earlier preferred work conditions
Later preference for a challenging job Interpersonal aggression Earlier aggression
Later aggression
Aggressive behavior Daily cigarette use Use of tobacco
Earlier use of tobacco
Later use of tobacco Alcohol use Use of alcohol
Earlier use of alcohol
Later use of alcohol Marijuana use Use of marihuana, hash
Earlier use of marihuana
Later use of marihuana Drug use Earlier use of hard drugs
Use of hard drugs
Later use of hard drugs School mean socioeconomic level Socio-economic level of school
Earlier socio-economic level of school Percieved racial discrimination Perceived occurrence of ethnic discrimination
Earlier discrimination
Later discrimination Vietnam dissent Later political behavior
Attitudes to specific political issues Prefer more militaryinfluence Later political behavior
Attitudes to specific political issues Concern about overpopulation Later concern about overpopulation
Concern about overpopulation Ideal number of children Later want for children
Ideal number of children Negative affective states Earlier mental health
Later mental health
Earlier mood-pattern
Later mood-pattern
Feeling negative (vs positive) Happiness Past happiness ( 1 to 10 years ago) Delinquent behavior in school Earlier school-behavior
Later school-behavior
Misbehavior in school Serious delinquent behaviors Earlier school-behavior
Misbehavior in school
Current deviant behavior
Earlier deviant behavior
Later deviant behavior
Later misbehavior at school Theft and vandalism Earlier school-behavior
Misbehavior in school
Earlier deviant behavior
Later deviant behavior
Stealing
Later misbehavior at school School mean intelligence scores Earlier school-environment
Intellectual level of school High school curriculum college preparatory Curriculum currently followed
Earlier precatory higher education
Later precatory higher education
in precatory higher education School attitudes Earlier attitudes to school
Perceived usefulness of schooling Academic achievement value Earlier attitudes to school
Involvement in school-work
Achievement motivation
Earlier involvement in school
Later involvement in school
Earlier achievement motivation
Later achievement motivation Satisfaction with own school work Earlier attitudes to school
Satisfaction with own school-performance
Satisfaction with own accomplishments Family's socioeconomic level Socio-economic background (earlier for adults, current for young)
Earlier socio-economic status Abortion disapproval Later attitudes
Later value-preferences
Domain-specific value-preferences
Acceptance of abortion Government should end discrimination Later attitudes
Attitudes to ethnic discrimination
Later value-preferences
Preference for equal rights Acceptance of social values Sociable
Earlier value-preferences
Later value-preferences
Social values Social distance Tendency to discriminate ethnic groups one-self
Earlier tolerance
Sociable
Later tolerance Internal control Earlier inner-control
Inner locus of control
Later locus of control Test anxiety Earlier fail-anxiety
Fail anxious
Later anxiety Trust in people Earlier trusting
Trusting
Development of trust
Trust in people Need for social approval Earlier approval seeking
Approval seeking