Cheer up, Americans things aren’t so bad after all! Despite the prophets of gloom and doom, inflation. crime and unemployment. most Americans are quite satisfied with the quality of their lives, according to a government survey and report. “Social Indicators Ill,” a nearly 600-page report prepared by the Bureau of Census and released by the Commerce Department, especially reflects satisfaction with three components considered highly important by Americans – good health. family life, and peace of mind. “An assessment of the over-all quality of life in the United States ultimately is an individual judgment,” noted the report, which provides a broad view of American life, including health, housing, work, welfare, income, culture and leisure time. But the study “helps us judge the degree to which people live satisfying and rewarding lives.” said Commerce secretary Philip Klutznick. Evaluations show the nation’s health, as measured by life expectancy. has continued to improve. From 1950 to 1977. life expectancy for men rose by 3.7 years to 69.3, and for women, 6.0 years to 77.1. Ninety-seven percent of the 1.442 Americans questioned consider good health highly important to a happy life, and 54 percent are quite satisfied with their health. Ninety-two percent said family life is very important, and 67 percent were well-satisfied. Ninety-one percent declared peace of mind is essential to happiness; 52 percent said they enjoyed it. The triennial report said housing nationwide has improved, welfare expenditures in constant dollars has increased more than five-fold from 1950 to 1977. and those polled were reasonably happy with such other measures as work, money. friends. education, and romance. All this doesn’t take away the problems, of course. Monumental problems remain to be solved. But the potential for happiness is still high. We should never lose sight of that.