
Americans are feeling more anxious, depressed, and dissatisfied with their lives than they did in 2009, according to a new study. CityLab writer Richard Florida reports that "subjective well-being" is down across the nation according to a new Gallup study based on a survey of 2.5 million Americans.
The survey asked people how they felt about certain aspects of their lives, including physical health and wellness; having supportive personal and family relationships; financial and economic security; having a sense of purpose; and connection to one’s community.
Despite some gains in specific categories, the overall results show a nation where well-being is in sharp decline. From 2016 to 2017, America saw its largest year-over-year drop in well-being in the 10 years that Gallup has tracked these data. Furthermore, 21 states registered absolute declines in their levels of well-being, and not a single state showed a statistically significant improvement in 2017.
The study also found which states are the least happy.
A broad unhappiness belt stretches from the Rust Belt states of Ohio and Indiana down into West Virginia (the state with the very lowest level of well-being) further south into Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. Nevada and Rhode Island also show very low rates of well-being. Conversely, a relative happiness belt stretches across the Mountain states, including the Dakotas, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Colorado. Vermont, New Hampshire, and Hawaii also show high rates of well-being.
Not all the news is bad, however. A number of physical-health metrics, like not smoking and engaging in regular exercise, are up. And more than half of respondents say they are “thriving”—more than ever before. What we could be seeing is a growing inequality of well-being that mirrors the country’s rising economic and spatial inequality.
Read More