Purestock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — More Americans are stressed by the future of the nation than ever before, the American Psychological Association’s report “Stress in America.”
The survey found that 63 percent of Americans say the future of the country is “a very or somewhat significant cause of stress.” That figure is higher than the number of Americans who say the sameabout money (62 percent) or work (61 percent).
More than half of Americans, 59 percent, say that this is the lowest point in American history — a datapoint which spans generations that lived through World War II, Vietnam, the Cuban Missile Crisis and September 11th.
“We’re seeing significant stress transcending party lines,” Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD and APA’s Chief Executive Officer. “The uncertainty and unpredictability tied to the future of our nation is affecting the health and well-being of many Americans in a way that feels unique to this period in recent history.”
Americans cited health care, the economy, trust in government, hate crimes, war and terrorist attacks, and others as factors for their stress.
The findings also showed that women are generally more stressed than men — 5.1 versus 4.4 on a 1-10 scale where 1 is “little or no stress” and 10 is “a great deal of stress.”
Black and Hispanic men also reported higher average stress levels, 4.8, than white men, 4.2.
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