How happy are you today?
We’ve asked that question to 1,532,029 red-blooded Americans since the end of 2010. Through all the economic, socio-cultural, and geopolitical ups and downs, the variation has remained fairly small, with happy people outnumbering unhappy ones by over six to one.
We were at our happiest (62%) in the second quarter of 2019, followed by 61% in the third quarter of 2012. The highest we’ve been in the past five years was a short-term bump to 59% in the summer of 2021, when vaccines became plentiful and lockdown faded away.
In other news, I’ve noticed that none of my friends post about politics on Facebook anymore. Well, a couple do, but they’re usually met with crickets. It’s nothing like it was during the height of the pandemic, January 6th, or even the 2024 election.
My theory is that most people realized it served no good. Nobody ever changed their party registration because of a meme. Moreover, it strained friendships, families, and our individual mental health. Politics makes us unhappy.
Or does it?
Turns out, the people who follow politics most closely are also the happiest. See for yourself:
I’ll go out on another limb and say it’s unlikely people are happier because they’re plugged into politics. It’s more likely that having the time, the bandwidth, the educational background, or the professional or financial stakes to care that much about politics is a privilege. And privileged people are happier.
Then there’s this:
Evidently, the stronger your political party affiliation, the happier you are (the symmetry is crazy too). I’ll theorize again and suggest this has something to do with a sense of belonging, of institutional trust. Independents, conversely, are the least likely to be happy, sitting in political no-man’s-land, trusting neither side. For good measure, those strong partisans follow politics much more closely than those in the middle.
In case you missed it above, we reached an all-time low watermark last quarter, with only 51% of U.S. adults saying they’re happy. Right now is literally the unhappiest we’ve ever been. Worse than the darkest point of the pandemic. Worse than the peak inflation of 2022. It should come as no surprise, then, that the percentage of U.S. adults who identify with either political party is also at a record low.
If the election goes the way everyone expects next month, it’s easy to understand why. People are pissed (relatively speaking). Just be careful what conclusions you draw from it. The outcome won’t hinge on a bunch of informed political junkies giving a mandate to the other side, rather merely another instance of people choosing change for change’s sake.
Assuming, of course, that they’re not too disgusted to vote.
Here’s what we’re seeing:
Just when you thought consumer confidence couldn’t get any worse. I would’ve bet a few nickels our Economic Sentiment Index would see a small rebound after plunging to record depths last time. That’s why I don’t gamble. This week, we hit an even lower low, driven by the 6th consecutive decline in respondent’s outlook for their personal finances. That means people are beginning to worry about their wages, their savings, their debt, and their investments — in sum or part. If you’re looking for any silver linings, respondents did indicate a more positive outlook for the longer-term U.S. economy. That means they think there’s nowhere to go but up.
Dispensing with our last bit of depressing content today, I promise, America’s collective emotional well-being tanked in September. Sinking happiness was accompanied by rising stress and worry in our latest Emotional Well-Being Index, leading to its third decline in as many months. On a positive note, things were appreciably worse a year ago. We also took a closer look at well-being among U.S. Hispanics, which has been noticeably less volatile than the Gen Pop for the past several months.
Individual journalists have now eclipsed news organizations in trust and popularity. For generations, the unwritten rule was that writers and other news talent were secondary to “the masthead.” But, as we found in our latest 3 Things to Know, those days are gone — presumably due to a mix of social media and declining institutional trust. A plurality of Americans, particularly Democrats, now value specific journalists over the organizations that pay their salaries. We also explored why so many Americans wait so long to see their doctor and how higher-income shoppers are shifting more of their purchases to private label brands.
I guess it’s time to talk about Sober October again. Led by our ever-enlightened, teetotaling Gen Zs, intent to dry out for the month of October made a big leap this year over last. While the most commonly cited reason was to save money, respondents listed everything from wanting to try new mocktails to improving their physical health to simply resetting their habits before the holidays (and maybe election night). Ironically, for many Sober Octoberists, it’s a kind of social venture, a challenge they’re undertaking with family or friends.
Apparently, we’re not the only family keeping Chewy in business. However much money we spend on deliveries from Chewy every month is one of the secrets I’m glad Tara keeps. It was comforting to learn from this study that we’re not alone. Nearly one-third of pet owners and 40% of those with more than one pet use the online service. Cat owners outpace dog owners in both current usage and future interest. Chewy users are less price-conscious than average pet owners, driven more by health motives and vet recommendations.
The most popular questions this week:
Do you plan to make soup a staple of your diet this fall?
Do you think small cities offer a higher quality of life than big cities?
How concerned are you about the future of rural healthcare in America?
Have you ever been involved in an emergency situation where you had to react quickly?
Would you say your math skills are above average, average, or below average?
Answer Key: Like clockwork; I do; A lot actually; Yeah, but who hasn’t?; It’s unfair because I’m surrounded by math geniuses all day…but I’ll say average.
Hoping you’re well…and happy.
JD
