The following is an excerpt from Gallup News.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- Steady 83% satisfied with the way their personal life is going
- Majorities satisfied with finances, lifestyle, opportunities, social life
- Satisfaction varies by income, age, marital status, education level
The 83% of Americans who are at least somewhat satisfied with their personal life matches the historical average since 1979, and broad majorities of U.S. adults likewise report they are satisfied with nine specific life aspects.
Between 81% and 90% of U.S. adults are either “very” or “somewhat” satisfied with their family life, current housing, education, job, community and personal health, while 71% to 77% express the same degree of satisfaction with the amount of leisure time they have, their standard of living and their household income.
Personal Satisfaction Matches Average Since 1979
Americans’ satisfaction with their overall personal life has ranged from 73% to 90% in Gallup’s periodic measures since 1979.
The record high was measured in 2020, two months before the Covid-19 pandemic swept across the U.S. It was short-lived, however, as the reading fell to 82% in 2021.
Last year, it edged up to 85%.
The low point in personal satisfaction came in the summer of 1979 during the energy crisis.
Personal satisfaction was also below 80% during challenging economic times in the early 1980s, early 1990s and the years after the Great Recession.
Gallup has asked a follow-up question in most years since 2001 about the degree to which Americans are satisfied with their personal life.
In a Jan. 2-22 Gallup survey, 50% of U.S. adults say they are very satisfied, in line with the previous two years’ 51% readings but well below the 65% high from 2020.
The only times Gallup found a smaller share of Americans very satisfied with their life were in December 2008, during the global economic crisis, and in 2011, as the country was still recovering from the 2007-2009 recession. (Continued)
Link to full article here.
