Happiness abounds.
Don’t forget that.
Our geopolitical climate and our economy – or at least the news coverage surrounding them – paint a picture of a very unsettled, even despondent state of affairs. The prevailing rage on social media will convince you that people are miserable as a result.
The truth is more complicated – and much more uplifting.
We’ve tracked the collective happiness of Americans every minute of every day for the past 16 years (surveying more than 1.5M people total) by simply asking a large, representative sample of U.S. adults, “How happy are you today?” Here’s what those numbers look like:
Overall, Americans have remained remarkably joyful, with those who characterize themselves as very happy or happy outnumbering those who are unhappy or very unhappy by over 4 to 1 today. Yes, the numbers have degraded slightly since 2019 (and 2011) – a global pandemic will do that to you. But even right now, with all the supposed angst spreading across the land, a mere 14% of U.S. adults report being unhappy. 14%!!!
For context, 15% of people believe in the existence of Bigfoot.
I’m not pointing fingers, but Somebody wants us to believe everyone’s pissed off. It must be good for Somebody’s business, I guess. Somebody is an asshole.
In related news, the average life expectancy in the United States rose to 79.4 last year, the highest it’s ever been. That’s up from less than 50 in 1900. In other words, we’re resoundingly delivering on the “life” and “pursuit of happiness” part of the equation. People can argue over the “liberty” piece, but good luck measuring it.
What I’m saying is, at least for most of us individually, life is good – however we choose to define it. There are people in the rural town I grew up in making under $50,000 a year who are happier than people I know who own private jets. I know married people who are happier than single people and single people who are happier than married people. I even know happy Dallas Cowboys fans.
I don’t mean to discount anyone who is genuinely unhappy. My heart breaks for you, and I hope you find your way to the other end of the tunnel. Just know that there are a lot of people – most people – waiting for you when you get there.
Anyway, don’t let anybody – or somebody – bring you down by telling you the world is on fire.
Because odds are, they’re happy too.
Here’s what we’re seeing:
Consumer confidence is continuing its slide into uncharted depths. Our Economic Sentiment Index fell further since our last report, which was already the lowest point we’ve seen in over 13 years. It was the first reading that encompassed two full weeks of the current gas prices, which mostly explains the whole thing. Concerns over the long-term future of the U.S. economy and confidence in making major purchases drove most of the decline. One metric – optimism for the housing market – improved. We’ll see if the ceasefire in Iran, presuming it actually lasts for two weeks, pushes the index upward next time.
Conversely, America’s collective emotional well-being improved in March. It’s always fascinating to me when our Emotional Well-Being Index diverges from our economic measures – it doesn’t happen often. It reinforces that sometimes money doesn’t buy happiness (or a lack of money doesn’t ensure unhappiness). Our index climbed for the second straight month, nearing highs we saw at Christmastime and landing almost 3 points above the same time last year…and that was even before Liberation Day shook the populace. Explaining the jump was an increase in overall excitement, presumably as people welcome warmer weather and anticipate summer. Sadness and stress, meanwhile, declined. As I said above, our happiness is resilient.
Like it or not, consumers expect business leaders to speak out on important socio-political issues. For reasons I needn’t explain, the silence of U.S. companies in the public sphere has become deafening over the last two years. But in our 3 Things to Know this week, we learned that Americans are increasingly likely to want the opposite. For the first time, a minority of U.S. adults believe “brands should stay away from social issues,” while the percentage who research a brand’s values has climbed significantly since 2024. Fortune favors the bold. Also, this week, we noted renewed interest in adult recreational sports leagues, as well as broad disdain for pro sports leagues and athletes cozying up to sports betting companies (except among NBA fans).
People are upping their athletic shoe game. Yet another byproduct of the major wellness movement in America, we’re seeing a lot of healthy (pun intended) energy in consumers’ athletic footwear activity. Not only are people more likely to buy new athletic shoes this year, but they’re also buying them more often in general, not just waiting for their old ones to wear out. HOKA, in particular, has seen a meteoric rise in popularity among running shoes, but Nike continues to rule the roost. If you want to reach these likely new shoe buyers, we provided a psychographic roadmap for that as well. For one, they’re more likely to listen to podcasts when they work out.
One reason I’m personally very happy today is because it’s Masters Weekend. It’s my favorite sports week of the year as the world’s best golfers converge on Augusta. As we learned from our data, more than one-third of U.S. adults are at least somewhat likely to be watching this weekend (the other nearly two-thirds don’t know what they’re missing). Unique among sporting events, the reasons people tune in extend beyond interest in golf. Likely viewers cite the tradition of the Masters, the relaxing ambiance, atmosphere, and scenery among their primary motives. I agree with all of it. I can’t wait until the back nine on Sunday.
More awesomeness from the InsightStore this week:
- We took our Poll of the Day feature to a new level this week, announcing a daily survey on the biggest news across politics, sports, entertainment, and other current events, with results published 24 hours later. You need to sign up (and participate) to see the daily findings, but it stands to be the closest-to-real-time snapshot of Americans’ sentiment on the ever-changing zeitgeist – day in and day out.
The most popular questions this week:
Are you more likely to assign blame or take accountability in a disagreement?
Have you ever visited a place or restaurant due to the late Anthony Bourdain’s influence?
Would you say your grasp of English grammar is better, comparable, or worse than others?
Have you ever had someone send you a “sign” from beyond the grave?
Answer Key: Accountability, perhaps to a fault; Major claustrophobia. Also, clowns and mascots. Eww; No, but he used to frequent my favorite watering hole in Pittsburgh, Kelly’s; Better than most; Every time I see a cardinal, I assume it’s my dad.
Hoping you’re well.
JD
