UPDATED: SEPTEMBER 10, 2021
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 Sept. 1-5, 2021, among 2,200 U.S. adults
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Women report feeling significantly more scared than men: In the latest survey, there was an 18-point gap between the share of women (46%) and men (28%) who report feeling scared, the largest gap since tracking began. The share of women who felt scared jumped 7 percentage points since last month and is at the highest point since mid-January.
Optimism about the future of the U.S. and the world dips to lowest point of 2021: American optimism about both the future of the world (47%) and the future of the U.S. (50%) dipped to the lowest level of the year and since tracking began last October. About 7 in 10 Americans are still optimistic about their future personal well-being.
Gen Z is 9 points more likely than any other generation to report feeling sad: In the latest survey, 54% of Gen Zers reported feeling sad, 13 percentage points higher than the rate among all adults, and 19 points higher than baby boomers. Additionally, 2 in 3 Gen Zers report feeling tired, 12 points higher than baby boomers.
Americans tend to feel positive emotions, but most are nonetheless ready for change: In general, Americans are more likely to say they feel positive emotions, such as “happy” or “content,” than negative emotions, such as “angry” or “sad.” However, the emotion that most Americans associate with is “ready for change,” as 78% say this sentiment describes their personal mood “somewhat” or “very” well.