LIFE SATISFACTION, SELF-ESTEEM, AND PERSONAL HAPPINESS AMONG MEXICAN AND AFRICAN-AMERICANS

This study, using data from the Mexican Origin People in the United St ates: The 1979 Chicano Survey and the National Survey of Black America ns, examines variation in religious participation and subjective quali ty of life across age and racial/ethnic groups. Results from multiple regression analyses demonstrate that Mexican and African Americans dif fer with respect to self-esteem, happiness, and life satisfaction, eve n after controls for sociodemographic characteristics are introduced. Results further show that the subjective consequences of age and relig ious participation, and to a lesser extent socioeconomic status, diffe r between the two racial/ethnic groups.