Kevin Rudd, it seems, is not unique. Just as the Foreign Minister last week proclaimed himself to be a happy little vegemite, so too do 78% of Australians aged 18 years and over claim to be satisfied with their lives. The Australian Bureau of Statistics brings the happy news in the summary findings of its General Social Survey report last Friday.

The Bureau’s Overall Life Satisfaction measure provides an indication of how people regard their life as a whole, reflecting their experience in the 12 months preceding the survey interview and their expectations for the future. In 2010, 43% of people aged 18 years or over were pleased or delighted with their life and a further three in ten people (34%) were mostly satisfied and together, very similar to the 76% of Australians as reported in the 2001 ABS National Health Survey.

Overall life satisfaction varied somewhat with age. People aged 65-74 years old were the most likely to be at least satisfied with their lives (83%) while those aged 45-54 years old were the least likely to be at least satisfied with their lives (73%).