"the "good old days" -- defined by the bulk of respondents as anywhere between the 1950s and the 1980s -"
I saw all of those years. We're better off today, by far. I'm speaking here in terms of personal well-being, not in terms of culture and intellectual growth. In those areas, we're spiralling down the drain.
Which explains why people don't seem to be as happy. Do you think the Amish are happier than the average American? I do.
I've seen a few of those years, and I'm not certain that we are better off. I've worked very hard and have a professional job, but I'm not sure that I could provide what my father provided. I can come close to having what he ended up having only because I've never married and will never raise children. A large part of the reason that I have no family is that I spent those "family years" trying to recover my career after a layoff. I'll have enough for a comfortable retirement only because I'll be alone, and being alone is not a healthy situation either. I think part of why we're failing in cultural and intellectual areas is that so many of us are spending those years trying to salvage careers hit by layoffs. We can do it, but something has to suffer.
Bill