UPDATED: JANUARY 21, 2022
Tracking the Emotional State of Americans
A monthly look at how moods are shifting throughout the country
By Sarah Green and Peyton Shelburne
Each week, Morning Consult asks a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults whether they are happy, angry, tired, optimistic, scared and a range of other emotions. This dataset, which will be released on a monthly basis, provides real-time insight into the shifting mood of the country, including breakdowns by age, gender, class and politics. The latest results have a margin of error of 2 percentage points, and are based on a survey conducted Jan. 13-14, 2022, among 2,200 U.S. adults
Americans Tend to Feel Positive Emotions More Than Negative Ones
The share of U.S. adults who said that the following described their personal mood either “very well” or “somewhat well”:
This chart shows the combined average share of adults who say they feel positive emotions (happy, energized, content and optimistic) and negative emotions (angry, anxious, tired, sad and scared).
Millennials Are the Most Optimistic Generation But Also the Most Anxious
The share of respondents who said that the following described their personal mood “very well” or “somewhat well”:
More Than 4 in 5 Americans are Ready for Change
The share of U.S. adults who said that “ready for change” described their personal mood “very well” or “somewhat well”:
About 7 in 10 Americans are Optimistic About Their Future Personal Well-Being
The share of U.S. adults who said that they were “very optimistic” or “somewhat optimistic” about the following:
Democrats and Millennials are Most Optimistic About the Future of the United States
The share of U.S. adults who said that they were “very optimistic” or “somewhat optimistic” about the future of the United States: