23 May 2003

Equality is happiness
But who wants to be the envy of their friends?

As part of ongoing research into the secret of happiness, McNair Ingenuity Research have begun to unravel the impact of peer influence. From the outset, Ingenuity's ongoing Australians Today Consumer Insights research programme has been showing that more affluent people are generally happier than those who are less well off. For instance, AB's the label given by marketers for the top 20% of the population in terms of socio-economics, are more likely than the average Australian to say that they are happy or very happy. The next series of questions became obvious: What is it about being affluent that makes people happy? Is it the sheer creature comforts, or is it how they feel about themselves and their wealth, relative to others - the people they spend time with?

In the latest results from The Australians Today Consumer Insights research programme, Mcnair Ingenuity have discovered that people who feel that they are not as well off as their peers or friends are distinctly less happy. Those who feel that their friends and those who they associate with are no better-off than themselves are as happy as anyone else - even though they may not belong to the richest group. And, surprisingly, those who feel they are better off than the people that they associate with are not significantly happier than anyone else.

The overall message is that it does not pay to envy your friends and relatives nor to be the envy of them!

How This Research Was Conducted This topic was included in the ongoing Australians Today Consumer Insights research program conducted by McNair Ingenuity Research in February 2003. The research is conducted by means of a combination telephone interview and self-completion survey amongst 2,000 people each year aged 18+ from across Australia. The initial interviews were conducted by trained interviewers according to standards set-out by Interviewer Quality Control Australia. The above information is copyright to McNair Ingenuity Research and may not be reproduced or published without McNair Ingenuity Research's express permission. Contact Matt Balogh ph 02 9966 9133.

You can learn more about McNair Ingenuity Research by visiting www.mcnairingenuity.com or calling Client Services Director Matt Balogh on 02 9966 9133

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