Stress in America Hits New High
All the usual suspects continue to heighten anxiety. Here’s how to curb yours.
Stress levels in America are higher now than during a previous peak last spring during Covid-19 lockdowns, a new survey finds. And it’s not just you. Or me. In the Harris Poll, conducted in the days just after the presidential inauguration, 84% of U.S. adults said they’re feeling some level of stress.
On average, people ranked their stress level at 5.6, where 1 equals little to none and 10 represents “a great deal of stress.” The survey has been repeated four times since last spring, when the average stress level reached 5.4 before falling to 5.0 in August.
What’s causing it? Pick your poison. Here are the top stressors, based on the percentage of people who cited them as significant sources:
We all seem to largely agree on at least two things, regardless of political affiliation: Around eight in 10 Democrats, Republicans and independents each reported some level of stress; and about the same number of each said the future of the country was a significant source of it.
