Are Parents Happier, Healthier, and More Engaged With Society than Non-parents?

We analyzed data from over 26,000 parents and non-parents from 24 European countries. We tested for differences between parents and non-parents on several indicators of happiness, health, and civic and community engagement. Results showed that there were no differences in global evaluations of happiness, life satisfaction, or subjective health. Non-parents reported being more depressed. Parents were more likely than non-parents to engage in social activities. Parents reported more health problems than non-parents; fathers had the largest BMI and were most likely to engage in risky health behaviors. Fathers and men without children reported the most political interest and were most likely to have voted. Fathers also reported being the least involved in religion and mothers the most involved. In sum, parents and non-parents did not differ greatly on happiness outcomes, but parents were worse off on health outcomes, and fathers in particular were more involved in civic engagement than non-parents.