Photo taken in Tuscany by Shauna Springer

Comments from Past Participants of the Lifestyle Poll

More information about the Lifestyle Poll Project

The Lifestyle Poll is an online survey developed by Dr. Shauna Springer, a practicing Psychologist with professional expertise in close relationships and career and identity development. The Lifestyle Poll primarily targets individuals between ages 25-40, when careers, marriages, and families are typically being established, but anyone is welcome to participate.

Click here to access the Lifestyle Poll

QUICK FACTS ABOUT THE LIFESTYLE POLL PROJECT

• The two core goals of the project are to assemble important information on a variety of topics and to provide a cost-free opportunity to stimulate self-reflection and conversations between individuals and their friends and romantic partners.

• Several hundred Harvard graduates completed the Lifestyle Poll during the first phase of the project. Participant feedback was overwhelmingly positive (click here for Comments from Past Participants of the Lifestyle Poll) so the scope of the project has now been expanded.

• The Lifestyle Poll will typically require about an hour to complete (sometimes longer depending on depth of responses to open-ended questions). The comprehensive evaluation of several areas of life allows a more meaningful picture to emerge as participants reflect on their lives.

• The Lifestyle Poll is filled with thought-provoking questions such as…

To what extent have your life choices been constrained or enlarged by the social class into which you were born?

How do you feel about the “alternative marital vow” which allows partners to commit “as long as [they] both shall love” as opposed to “as long as [they] both shall live?”

What do you think of the idea of forgetting about fantasies of finding the perfect mate and instead trying to establish a “good enough marriage” with a likable mate you can get along with?

If you used to work in a paid job and are now a full time parent, did you “choose” this (e.g. “opt out” of work) or did you feel forced to make this shift because it felt impossible to continue working?

When you retire, how do you think your financial situation will compare to that of your parents during their retirement years?

In your life so far, has any one event or events made you a much less trusting person that you used to be? What was the nature of this event and how did it change you?

Your participation is entirely voluntary and election to participate in the research by clicking on the survey link on this page shall be construed as elective consent. There are no known risks associated with participation in the study. A benefit of participation is the opportunity to evaluate different areas of your life in a way you may not have considered in awhile.