Young adults in Sweden report lower wellbeing compared to older generations, according to a new study published in the International Journal of Wellbeing. The research, conducted by teams from the Stockholm School of Economics, Lund University, Oslo Metropolitan University and Harvard University, surveyed more than 15,000 people across Sweden.
The findings indicate that young adults experience less life satisfaction and meaning than older Swedes. Financial insecurity is also more common among younger respondents. Additionally, rates of loneliness are twice as high for young adults compared to seniors. Young people reported three times as many depressive symptoms and seven times the level of anxiety as those in the oldest age group.
Previous studies have shown psychological distress among Swedish youth; however, this research suggests that disparities extend beyond mental health to nearly all areas of life. The gap between age groups is larger than differences based on gender or country of birth.
Despite these challenges, young adults remain optimistic about their future wellbeing. On a ten-point scale, they expect their life satisfaction to reach 8.06 within five years—higher than the general average of 6.65.
"Young people's optimism about the future is positive," says Nora Hansson Bittár. "But the combination of low wellbeing today and very high expectations for the future brings to mind former Swedish Prime Minister Tage Erlander's phrase about the 'disappointment that follows rising expectations'. Overly high ambitions and ideals - likely reinforced by social media - may contribute to dissatisfaction with life in the present."
While Sweden ranks highly in international happiness comparisons overall, researchers note significant generational differences beneath national averages. If only ratings from 18-24 year olds were used for global rankings like the World Happiness Report, Sweden would drop from fourth place to thirtieth globally.
"The study clearly shows that young people in Sweden are doing worse but, on the flip side, older Swedes are doing remarkably well," says August Nilsson, co-author and PhD candidate at Oslo Metropolitan University. "Older Swedes are among the happiest in the world, with strong close relationships and less loneliness than their younger relatives. In a society that often idealises youth and associates aging with frailty and isolation, we hope these findings can contribute to a positive view of aging."
The typical "U-shaped curve" seen elsewhere—in which wellbeing dips during midlife—does not appear in Sweden's data set. Middle-aged Swedes report relatively stable levels of wellbeing despite juggling work responsibilities with caring for children or elderly family members. Researchers suggest this may be due to comprehensive childcare and eldercare systems that ease pressures during this period.
"A key conclusion is that we need to strengthen societal efforts to support the wellbeing of young adults, and that we need to do more to monitor and understand this development over time," says Micael Dahlen, co-author and professor at the Center for Wellbeing, Welfare and Happiness at the Stockholm School of Economics. "The observed patterns differ both from Sweden's past and from trends in many other countries, underscoring that happiness and wellbeing are shaped by local conditions and can change over time. I believe we need to measure wellbeing as frequently and ambitiously as we measure economic growth."
This research forms part of the Global Flourishing Study—a project tracking over 200,000 individuals across 22 countries through annual surveys over five years—to better understand factors influencing quality of life worldwide.
