Hope Project

Gwendolyn Davis

Megan Voegele

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Gwendolyn Davis

Megan Voegele

Intro to Sociology

Hope Project Report

3/4/09

The Hope Project

Hope is a crucial aspect of every person's life. Humans hope for health, money,

knowledge, families, the afterlife, and nearly all desirable things. So what exactly is

hope? It is a trait that enables self worth and motivation. It allows us to pursue the things

we desire. For example, a student who not only wants to graduate and pursue a higher

status, but actively works toward that goal, is considered motivated. His high level of

hope accounts for his motivation.

In 2002, C.R. Snyder published an article detailing his theory on hope, defined as

"the capability to derive pathways to desired goals, and motivate oneself via agency

thinking to use those pathways." (Snyder 249). He designed a survey under the guise

"Future Scale" that would measure the amount of hope a person held, which consists of a

goals scale and a waypower scale. We will attempt to replicate Snyder's experiment by

administering the survey to various friends, family members, and strangers. We have

modified the survey to include two questions that test the independent variables we

believe to directly affect hope.

We have concluded that there are many factors that affect hopefulness, but the

two most significant ones are age bracket and marital status. After some discussion and

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reflection, we decided that the 17-21 and 22-30 age brackets would probably be more

hopeful and include those with more assertive life views. It is also our belief that married

persons or those in relationships will have a more positive outlook in life. It is logical to

assume that those that have the intimate connection of a loved one will feel a strong sense

of foundation to support them as they pursue goals. Single people may not experience

this intimate support to the same degree that couples do. Divorced persons may have an

even worse view because they are bereft of the comfort they once had. As the saying

goes, ”You never truly miss it until it's gone.

Hope Variable: Age and Its Relations

Many articles can be found on the topic of age in relation to hope, especially in

regard to college students. They attempt to discover if age will cause a person to be

hopeful, or if it will cause a person to have a glum outlook on life. The first article of the

two discusses the contemporary wave of hope in the college setting. John Quaye, with

impeccable timing for America's current situation, begins by discussing Barack Obama’s

speech in 2004. It places the focus of the government onto college students. Quaye's

article, “Hope and Learning: The Outcomes of Contemporary Student Activism”,

introduces the topic of modern college students and their trials in the dismal time period

in which they struggle to earn their degrees. He points out that many students are let

down and often lose hope because of bad grades and difficult courses. Even though this

begins to contradict our hypothesis, Quaye offers a bright turn-around. These students are

actually acting on their disheartenment and trying to keep diversity strong and cultural

interest peaked. “Critical hope is not based on a naïve belief that racism, sexism,

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classism, and other unjust practices can be easily extinguished; instead, it is anchored in

the belief by challenging inequitable behaviors. College students can work to improve

their circumstances and those of their current and future peers.” (2007: 3) The article

continues to discuss what college students are doing that makes them so hopeful; it can

be seen on a daily basis. They are helping the community and cleaning up the Earth. The

phrase ‘Go Green’ has become a staple on campuses across the nation. Students have

become far more concerned about the country and the world in which they live. Quaye

continues to explain that the new involvement from the college community is not just

affecting campus, but changing the communities around it. The government authorities

are also keeping a close eye on college students, and are using the students' ideas and

opinions to fuel their campaigns.

The article relates well to the idea that college age students are hopeful. Quaye

explains that college age students are indeed very goal-oriented when he said, “88% of

the students said they are optimistic about their own future, and 66% are hopeful about

America’s future.” (2007: 3)

The second article, “Satisfaction with Life and Hope: A Look at Age and Marital

Status”, written by Thomas C. Bailey and C .R. Snyder, addresses many aspects of aging.

Bailey and Snyder conducted their research using the hope surveys to evaluate their

subjects. Their results, however, did not show a clear differentiation between the age

spectrums. They concluded that the middle-aged group did seem to be far more hopeful

than the older participants. Bailey and Snyder theorized that the elderly were stressed by

retirement and health concerns.

This article does directly address that there are issues with surveys. Bailey and

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Snyder remarked that for each group there are factors that prohibit hopefulness: “Another

potential influence may be the realization that established goals and the perceived

pathways to attain those goals may be blocked by external forces (e.g., economic trends,

world events, etc.).” (2007: 238) They recognize the difficulties and restricted results of

the surveys, often gaining results that are very similar due to the area they survey, and the

type of people they administer to.

Hope Variable: Marital Status

"Marital Status and Personal Happiness: An Analysis of Trend Data" explores the

gap of happiness between non-married men and married men, and their female

counterparts. The findings of Norval Glenn and Charles Weaver in the late 1980's

showed that the gap between the two divisions was narrowing. Single men and women

were starting to show a larger amount of happiness than before, although still not as great

as married persons. However, it was enough for Glenn to call for a reform of modern

marriage. The authors of this article, Gary Lee, Karen Seccombe, and Constance Shehan,

point out that in the past 3 years since Glenn's last article, data has been starting to turn in

the married couples' favor. They survey their subjects with the simple question, "Taken

all together, how would you say things are these days- would you say that you are very

happy, pretty happy, or not too happy?"(Lee, 840). The method obviously has flaws: it's

not enough to gather significant information. Also, the subjects could be answering based

on their current mood. However, it is useful because the same question has been

administered every year for decades past. They ask it for the purpose of drawing

comparisons to past data.

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 The authors highlight the fact that never-married persons have a significantly

higher level of happiness than formerly married persons. They also reveal the stunning

fact that "half of all persons have married by age 25". It is also noted that a larger

percentage of married women report higher levels of happiness than married men do.

The article is highly relevant in our quest to find the correlation between

hopefulness and marriage/lack of marriage. "Happiness" is a highly subjective trait to test

for; there could have been multiple interpretations made by those answering the question.

However, there is a very strong link between happiness and hopefulness. It is logical to

assume that if a person is happy, he is hopeful as well. The data in the article showed

that married persons were happier than unmarried persons by a fair margin, and it follows

our hypothesis.

In "Marital Status and Health", Lois Verbrugge analyzes the relationship between

marital status and health, or marital status and mortality rate. The explanation behind the

correlation could also be that healthy people are more likely to be selected for marriage.

She admits that "the causal ties among happiness, stress, and illness (physical and mental)

are not well known." However, she does find that non-married people have higher

mortality rates due to lifestyle behaviors such as smoking, drinking, and driving. She

highlights the fact that since married people have more support for their health problems,

they are more likely to take care of themselves. There are people at home to help and

provide concern; also, many married people feel the need to stay healthy in order to care

for children. Her results conclude that divorced and widowed persons have more long-

term and short-term disabilities than married couples.

Verbrugge's research focuses mostly on physical health; unfortunately, it does not

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explore mental health as thoroughly. However, the information is absolutely important

because it is an eye-opener; the benefit of being married is that you have someone

accountable for you, and you are less viable to take risks. It follows that a healthier

person is likely a happier person, and the strong relationship between happiness and

hopefulness is further established.

Results: Factors and Key Points

We modified the "Future Scale Survey" to include a question about marital status

with four categories listed, and a question about age with four age groups listed. We gave

the surveys to a large variety of people in order to diversify our data. The surveys were

administered to friends and family members. We also posted the survey on various

forums and social networking websites to gather information from different locations.

The largest amounts of participants were in the 17-21 age bracket. This is understandable

since our environment is a college campus. The largest percentage of participants also fell

into the "single" category.

An individual's level of hope is determined by adding 8 specific numbers on the

survey together. The assignment tells us that any number above 32 indicates high levels

of hope, but we are going to ignore this for the sake of relevancy. The average number of

all 30 participants was exactly 51. If we were using the assignment's scale, all of our

subjects would be considered hopeful, since none dipped below 32. We will now assume

that all scores below 51 display lower levels of hope, and all scores above display higher

levels.

The average level of hope for each marital category and age bracket was calculated

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by dividing the sum of the scores by the number of participants in each group. For

example, the results of all the 17-21 age group added to a sum of 579. This was divided

by the amount of people in the group (12). In the example, the average level of hope for

the 17-21 bracket is 48.25.

The results of the surveys did not fully reflect the hypothesis, although they did

come close. The Age and Hopefulness chart clearly shows that the ages of 22-30 had

higher levels of hope than that of any other age group. We predicted that the group of 17-

21 would be among the highest. It is ironic that this age group has the lowest average

level of hope of all. The 22-30 group is still in the younger half, so our hypothesis was

slightly true.

The Marital Status and Hopefulness chart came closer to our prediction. The

"Married" group did indeed have the highest average level of hope. The "Divorced"

group displayed the lowest average level of hope. However, it is interesting to note that

the "Single" participants have a slightly higher level than the "In a Relationship"

participants. We would have thought otherwise. When "Married" and "In a Relationship"

are combined, they do display a higher level of hope than "Single" and "Divorced"

combined.

When evaluating the results, one must take into consideration the many factors that

have influenced them. The location and the types of people surveyed can greatly sway the

data. This seems very likely in the given situation. Another factor involved is standard

deviation. We have used averages, and any number that is greatly differing from the rest

could inaccurately represent the average. Another problem is that there simply weren't

enough samples to represent each category well. For example, only two of the

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participants fell into the "Divorced" category. Finally, there is the issue of personal

inferences to the questions asked. One of the surveys had both the "In a Relationship"

category and the "Single" category circled, with a note commenting that it fluctuated.

Many of the questions were vague. One participant asked, "What does this question even

mean?" It's a valid point, since it's hard to pinpoint an exact number to answer for each

question. Many probably gave something random, or answered in a way they thought

would please the surveyor.

One must realize that a majority of the given surveys were performed on a college

campus, which immediately sets a restriction on the type of people. If you are on a

college campus, the surveyed will more than likely be staff or students. If the opportunity

was given to re-administer the surveys, it would be wise to go to a more diverse setting,

such as a street corner. In this setting, the possibilities of surveying a more level field of

people are increased dramatically. The data we collected cannot, on such a small scale,

accurately demonstrate the feelings of hope among American citizens. The results can

only reflect the hope of the people in the given area.

We found that our variables were fairly accurate predictors for the results we

received. Our hypothesis was not entirely correct, but the information came close enough

to justify it. It is clear from our data that the age group 22-30 is the most hopeful, and the

married group is most hopeful among relationship categories. It will help us understand

what contributes to human self esteem. It is important not to generalize though, as not all

people are the same. What a boring species we'd be if we were. However, it will never

stop us from seeking to understand how the mind works, and what we can do to help

spread the "hopefulness."

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Age Average Hope
17-21 48.25
22-30 56.14
31-45 48.6
46+ 50.6
Marital Average
Status Hope
Married 52.4
In Relationship 50.25
Single 50.54
Divorced 44.5

Age and Hope

58

56
Average Level of Hope

54

52
Average Hope
50

48

46

44
17-21 22-30 31-45 46+
Age Group

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 HOPE PROJECT CHARTS

Marital Status and Hope

54

52
Average Level of Hope

50

48
Average Hope
46

44

42

40
Married In a Relationship Single Divorced
Marital Status

The Future Scale

Directions: Read each item carefully. Using the scale shown below, please select the
number that best describes YOU and put that number in the blank provided.
1=Definitely False
2=Mostly False
3=Somewhat False
4=Slightly False
5=Slightly True
6=Somewhat True
7=Mostly True
8=Definitely True

_______ 1. I can think of many ways to get out of a jam

_______ 2. I energetically pursue my goals.

_______ 3. I feel tired most of the time.

_______ 4. There are lots of ways around any problem.

_______ 5. I am easily downed in an argument.

_______ 6. I can think of many ways to get the things in life that are important to me.

_______ 7. I worry about my health.

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_______ 8. Even when others get discouraged, I know I can find a way to solve the problem.

_______ 9. My past experiences have prepared me well for my future.

_______ 10. I’ve been pretty successful in life.

_______ 11. I usually find my self worrying about something.

_______ 12. I meet the goals I set for myself.

1.) What age group do you belong to?

A.)17-21 B.) 21-30 C.) 31-45 D.) 46+

2.) What is your marital status?

A.) Married B.) In a relationship C.) Single D.) Divorced

References

Gwendolyn Davis
Megan Voegele

Bailey, Thomas C. and C.R. Snyder. 1991. "Satisfaction with Life and Hope: A Look at
Age and Marital Status". Psychological Record 57: 233

Lee, Gary R., Karen Seccombe, and Constance L. Shehan. November 1991. "Marital
Status and Personal Happiness: An Analysis of Trend Data". Journal of Marriage
and the Family 53: 839-844

Quaye, Stephen John. May 2007. "Hope and Learning: The outcomes of Contemporary
Student Activism". About Campus 12: 2-9

Verbrugge, Lois M. 1979. “Marital Status and Health.” Journal of Marriage and the
Family 41: 267-285

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 Abstract Article 1:

The Adult Trait Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1991) typically has been administered
to samples of college students, and previous researchers have not explored key
demographic variables. In a large sample of community persons who were not in college
(N = 215), significant differences were detected in Hope Scale scores across differing age
groups and marital status. Specifically, hope was lower for the older cohort (age 54-65)
and for those who were separated, divorced, or widowed. Comparative results between
Hope and Satisfaction with Life measures indicate somewhat similar outcomes, except
with age. These findings are discussed.

Abstract Article 2:

This report analyzes General Social Survey data from 1972 through 1989 on the
personal happiness of married and never-married individuals. Earlier studies (Glenn and
Weaver, 1988) had reported a significant decrease in the difference between these two
categories, with the "advantage" of the married progressively declining from 1972
through 1986. This article shows that the process reversed somewhat during the latter part
of the 1980s, with the effect of marriage on happiness returning to fairly typical levels in
1987 and 1988 after several years of relatively minimal differences in the early part of the
decade. However, the difference diminished once again in 1989. The analysis shows that
never-married males and younger never-married females were happier in the late 1980s
than in the 1970s, and that younger married women were somewhat less happy in the late
1980s than in the 1970s. These trends, however, are generally weaker than earlier
evidence suggested.

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 Abstract Article 3:

Often quietly and behind the scenes, America's college students are effecting
positive change in their local communities and around the globe. What do students learn
through this kind of activism, and how can educators help them learn it?

Abstract Article 4:

In the United States, mortality rates are higher for nonmarried people than
married people, and are especially high for the formerly married. To determine if
morbidity and disability reveal the same differentials, age-adjusted data from the Health
Inter- view Survey, Health Examination Survey, 1960 and 1970 Censuses of Population,
and other federal health surveys are examined. The noninstitutional population is
considered first: divorced and separated people have the worst health status, with highest
rates of acute conditions, of chronic conditions which limit social activity, and of
disability for health problems. Widowed people rank second for health status, followed
by single people. Married people appear healthiest, having low rates of chronic limitation
and disability. Their rates of restricted activity and medical care are intermediate, but
hospital stays tend to be short. Considering the institutional population, rates of residence
in health institutions are highest for single people and lowest for married ones. These
results are explained by marital roles and life styles which influence health, by selectivity
into a marital status because of health, and by propensities to take health actions when
feeling ill.

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