Americans were more Stressed, Angry and Worried last Year says Gallup poll finds

If you’ve been feeling more on edge lately, you’re not alone.

Americans were more stressed, angry and worried last year than they’ve been during most of the past decade, according to the Gallup 2019 Global Emotions Report out Thursday.

When Americans were asked about their feelings the previous day in 2018, 55% said they had been stressed during much of the day, 45% said they felt worried a lot and 22% reported feeling anger a lot.

“Each of these figures matches or tops previous highs in the U.S.,” the report states. “Additionally, Gallup’s latest annual update on the world’s emotional state shows Americans were more likely to be stressed and worried than much of the world. In fact, the 55% of Americans who experienced stress was one of the highest rates out of the 143 countries studied and it beat the global average (35%) by a full 20 percentage points. The U.S. even ties statistically with Greece, which has led the world on this measure every year since 2012."

A decade ago, in 2008, 44% of U.S. residents reported being stressed, 34% said they were worried and only 16% said they’d experienced anger the day before.

Younger Americans — those between the ages of 15 and 49 — are among the most stressed, worried and angry in the U.S. A whopping two out of three of those in that age group said they’d been stressed a lot. About half said they felt worried a lot and about a quarter of them felt anger a lot.