The state of personal satisfaction among Americans has taken a dip, according to the latest Mood of the Nation poll conducted by Gallup from January 2-22, 2024. Under half of the respondents, precisely 47%, reported feeling “very satisfied” with their lives, marking a slight decrease from the previous year’s figures and hovering just above the 2011 record low.
Historically, low levels of American contentment have mirrored times of financial distress. The most comparable instances in recent memory were in December 2008 during the global financial crisis and in 2011, amidst the lingering impacts of the 2007-2009 recession, with readings at 47% and 46%, respectively.
The current sentiment is nuanced, with 31% of Americans declaring they are “somewhat satisfied,” while dissatisfaction presents itself as well; 11% are somewhat dissatisfied, followed by 9% who are very dissatisfied with their personal lives. These numbers emerge amid a backdrop of a predominantly bleak perception of the nation’s economy, despite continued economic recovery efforts.
A drop in overall satisfaction levels was evident when considering that 78% of adults in the U.S. express total satisfaction (encompassing both “very” and “somewhat” satisfied responses), demonstrating a significant fall from the average of 84% recorded since the survey began in 1979. Importantly, this represents the lowest satisfaction level since 2011 and indicates a 5% decline over the past year.
At the outset of the previous decade, America hit a pinnacle of personal contentment, with a 90% satisfaction rate in January 2020, coinciding with peak economic confidence before the COVID-19 pandemic sparked an unprecedented economic downturn.
Despite the overall grim picture painted by the recent figures, certain populations showed higher levels of fulfillment, including individuals earning over $100,000 annually, married adults, regular participants in religious services, college graduates, Democrats, and older citizens aged 55 and above.
Among these groups, most experienced stagnation or marginal decreases in satisfaction compared to the previous year. However, there was a noted reduction in satisfaction among Republicans, dropping by 10 percentage points.
The Mood of the Nation poll continues to track these personal satisfaction metrics, iterating its significance as a gauge of the public’s private sentiments over time against the dynamic backdrop of the nation’s sociopolitical and economic climates.
