Background: Life satisfaction, a measure of overall happiness, predicts individual functioning in education, the labour market, and later well-being. Recent evidence of declining happiness among young people in Britain is concerning. This study examines individual, family, and socio-economic risk factors contributing to this trend. Identifying the sources of declining life satisfaction is crucial for targeted interventions.
Method: Linear age-period-cohort models were applied to analyse life satisfaction trajectories among 10–15-year-olds using combined data from the British Household Panel Study (BHPS) and Understanding Society (UKHLS) surveys (1994–2023). Participants rated their overall life satisfaction on a 7-point scale. Trends were examined by socio-demographic groups including sex and age bracket. Statistical decomposition assessed the extent to which individual, family, and socio-economic risk factors explained the decline. Individual risks included social relationships as well as happiness with school, appearance, family, and friends. Family risks encompassed parental health, family stability, and long working hours. Socio-economic risks involved low income, worklessness, parental qualifications, class background, and housing issues.
Results: Between 1994 and 2015, adolescent life satisfaction remained stable. However, it declined significantly from 2015 onwards, predating the Covid-19 pandemic. By 2022–2023, life satisfaction was 0.481 (p<.001) below its 1994 mean. Declines were greater among girls (Cohen’s d = 0.47, p<.001) than boys (Cohen’s d = 0.32, p<.001) and more pronounced among older teenagers (Cohen’s d = 0.42, p<.001). These trends were not explained by family or socio-economic risks but partially by adolescents’ declining happiness with their appearance, which emerged as the strongest factor.
Conclusion: Declining life satisfaction among adolescents underscores the need for targeted interventions addressing body image concerns. A nuanced understanding of well-being beyond conventional risk factors is critical to mitigating long-term declines.