A report by Newsweek dated Friday, January 19, 2024, findings from a recent Gallup survey suggest that Americans are experiencing a level of “suffering” not seen in the past 15 years, impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, economic challenges, and heightened political divisions.
The Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index reveals that the percentage of Americans classified as “suffering” reached 4.3 percent in the fourth quarter of 2023. This marks the highest level since the first quarter of 2009 during the peak of the Great Recession. It also signifies the fifth occurrence in six quarters, starting from the second quarter of 2022, where more than 4 percent of Americans rated their lives poorly – a level rarely reached since 2008.
Conversely, the percentage of Americans deemed “thriving” in 2023 stood at 52.1 percent, representing the lowest annual average since 2009. In the period between 2015 and 2019, marked by consistent economic growth, and in 2021 during the post-pandemic economic recovery, over 55 percent of Americans were classified as “thriving.”
The survey, conducted between November 30 and December 7, 2023, polled 6,386 U.S. adults. Gallup categorizes respondents as “thriving,” “struggling,” or “suffering” based on their ratings of current and future life on a scale from zero to 10, using the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale.
Individuals rating their current life at 7 or higher and anticipating a life of 8 or higher in the next five years are classified as “thriving,” while those giving a score of 4 or below for both current and future life are labeled as “suffering.” Gallup notes that individuals in the “suffering” category are more likely to report lacking food and shelter, as well as experiencing physical pain, stress, worry, sadness, and anger.
The survey also highlights shifts in the thriving rate among political affiliations. The thriving rate declined by 9 percentage points among Republicans and 2.6 points among independents since the first half of 2021. In contrast, Democrats maintained a steady thriving rate, with the highest rate in 2023 at 55.7 percent compared to Republicans (51.7 percent) and independents (48.4 percent).
Experts, such as Aaron Pallas, a professor of sociology at Teachers College, Columbia University, express concern about the increased pessimism in Americans’ outlook on their lives over the past 15 years, suggesting that this sentiment could impact political decisions, particularly during elections.
Beyond evaluating life satisfaction, the survey also assessed other facets of well-being, including physical health, social relationships, financial security, community involvement, and career satisfaction. The results indicate an overall decline in well-being across these domains, except for a slight improvement in community well-being in 2023.
The Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index is part of a global initiative tracking and understanding people’s sentiments and experiences worldwide. Gallup has conducted the survey in the U.S. since 2008 and in more than 160 countries since 2005.
