News and Findings

Here are a few findings about Wisconsin's Class of 1957:

Check out the WLS in the news:

Happy Days Survey In Reruns
(On Wisconsin 6/1/03)

Life-Spanning Research
(NBC-15 WMTV-Madison, 1/16/03)

Key Data Anticipated in 45-Year Aging Study (Wisconsin State Journal, 1/15/03)

Ongoing study checks in on 'Happy Days' cohort (Wisconsin Week, 1/15/03)

Study Tackles New Issues for Class of '57 (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 1/11/03)

Pioneering Study Examines Aging of 'Happy Days' Cohort (Press Release)

Fifty years and counting: The Wisconsin Longitudinal Study (Wisconsin News 07/07)

Class of '57 gives researchers broad sociological snapshot (Wisconsin State Journal 07/07)

The Story of Our Lives
(ABC News 07/07)

Happy Days Study
(Streaming Video--WKOW)

Seventy percent of the 1957 graduating class live in Wisconsin.
Graduates live in all 50 states, Puerto Rico, the District of Columbia and more than ten foreign countries. The most common states of residence besides Wisconsin are Minnesota, Illinois, and California with 4% each, and Florida, Texas and Arizona with 1% to 2% each.
Forty-eight percent of men and 36% of women in the sample completed academic schooling beyond high school. Fourteen percent of men and 12% of women stopped their academic education with bachelor's degrees, but 18% of men and 9% of women earned higher professional and graduate degrees.
As of the 1992-1994 surveys, almost 70% of WLS graduates remain in their first marriages. Only 15% have married more than once. 82% of men and women are currently married and living with their spouse.
The majority of graduates have either two or three children, while approximately one-third have four or more children. Only 8% have no children, and 7% one child. The average number of children per graduates is 3, which includes biological, adopted, foster and stepchildren.
Ninety-five percent of the class of '57 have some kind of health insurance, although 51% of women have health insurance through their own employment, compared with 79% of men.
Forty percent of men hold management positions in their jobs, 14% are in supervisory jobs and 46% are employed in non-supervisory jobs. For women, 22% are managers, 15% are supervisors and two thirds are in non-supervisory jobs.
Eighty-eight percent of WLS graduates own their homes.
The majority of both men (80%) and women (76%) say they participate in light exercise, like walking, at least once a week. 35% of men and 26% of women participate in more strenuous exercise, like jogging or aerobics.
Self-reports of height and weight show that the average woman from the class of '57 is 5'4" tall and weighs 153 lbs, while men report an average height of 5'10" and weigh 195 lbs.
While many more men (60%) than women (47%) report that they have ever smoked, about the same percentages of women (18%) and men (17%) are current cigarette smokers.