Near-record low of Americans ‘very satisfied’ with lives; married, regular churchgoers among happiest

February 12, 2024

A recent Gallup poll shows a near record low number of Americans say they are “very satisfied” with their lives, according to The Christian Post.

The annual “Mood of the Nation” poll, which has been conducted since 1979, showed that just 47% of respondents expressed high satisfaction with their lives. That’s the third time in decades that the number has dipped below half.

Of those who are “very satisfied” with their lives, most of the respondents were religious, married and upper income. The number marks a steep drop from the high of 90% in January of 2020, prior to the economic and political instability that followed the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.

That satisfaction number dropped to 51% in 2021 and stayed there again in 2022.

The last times that satisfaction was this low was in 2008 when is was at 47% and in 2011 when it dropped to its lowest point of 46%. Both of those dips took place during times of global recession.

The Christian Post reports that weak economic confidence may play a roll in results of the poll. The Gallup organization stated:

“Americans are currently less satisfied with their personal lives than they have been since 2011, whether that is based on the percentage satisfied or very satisfied. However, some groups of U.S. adults are still registering majority-level high satisfaction with their lives, including higher-income, married, more religious, college educated, older Americans and Democrats.”

A recent study from The Pew Research Center appears to back up the Gallup poll’s findings that young adults appear to be feeling the strongest repercussions of the nation’s economic uncertainty.

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