Pie-eyed optimists: Baby-boomers the optimistic generation?

Social indicators research is concerned with the measurement of quality of life in society from both the objective and subjective point of view. The s ubjective appraisal of quality of life often involves judgements in terms o f "satisfaction'' (Veenhoven, 1996: 1). Such research however, is not only concerned with satisfaction but also with dissatisfaction. The concepts of pessimism and optimism are used in this paper to determine feelings of sati sfaction and dissatisfaction among an elite cohort of baby boom Australians . Objective and subjective potential indicators of quality of life are comb ined to explore these dimensions.