Gallup’s New Findings on Stress
In their April 15, 2024 post, Sarah Fioroni and Dan Foy from the Gallup Organization reported: “Over the past 30 years, the number of Americans who are stressed has been on a steady incline after a sharp drop in 2003. The most recent data show that nearly half of all Americans, 49%, report frequently experiencing stress, up 16 points over the past two decades and the highest in Gallup’s trend to date.”
Fioroni and Foy also noted that the difference in stress levels between men and women has remained a persistent issue over the years. While it was at its narrowest point from 2004 to 2007, over time this gap has grown significantly — reaching an all-time high within recent years with only half of males experiencing frequent bouts of stress compared against two thirds of females (53% vs 45%). This trend is concerning as both genders face unique challenges when managing their mental health under these circumstances.
Building stress awareness means recognizing more needs to be done to address how we can support those who are struggling with chronic, toxic stress the most during today’s challenging times. A significant difference exists between younger women and men their age when it comes to frequently experiencing stress. Younger females experience negative stress more often than males by a margin of 14 points, while also being twice as likely compared with those who are fifty years old or older. This disparity highlights the need for interventions aimed at reducing stress levels among young female populations. The need for employers to pay more attention to the mental health needs of female workers is a topic I wrote about earlier this year.
Gallup’s survey research highlights a significant increase in frequent stress levels among younger women compared to other age groups. Specifically, their rates have risen by 23 points since 2007, while older women increased only eight-fold during the same period.
Meanwhile, men under forty years old experienced an uptick of three percent and those over fifty had an increase of five percent respectively. These findings suggest that there may be unique factors contributing to higher levels of stress for young females than males or older individuals. The Gallup findings reinforce that fact that more research is needed to fully understand these differences and develop effective interventions to support female workers, especially working moms.
Implications — What It Means
A review of what is being published about U.S. employees today reveals that American workers are experiencing a decline in their satisfaction with their wellbeing. Recent articles have addressed sadness, pessimissim, loneliness, low engagement, in addition to their level of stress. As I also wrote earlier this month, there is a strong connection between the amount of sleep an employees gets and their feelings related to stress. According to Gallup survey data, as well as other research studies, there is a strong correlation between these trends and overall health outcomes. The impact on Americans’ physical and mental wellbeing could have even greater significance if left unaddressed.
The United States is experiencing a decline in sleep quality and an increase in stress levels among its citizens, with younger women being hit particularly hard. This trend aligns with Gallup’s findings on mental health and wellbeing which also show that both young adults and females are suffering at higher rates than their counterparts. The depression rate for women has been increasing, while the likelihood of them evaluating their mental state as fair or poor is greater when compared to men and older individuals.
Furthermore, according to the Walton Family Foundation and Gallup’s study on Generation Z getting enough rest and relaxation, stress plays a crucial role in determining happiness amongst America’s youth. Those who reported having adequate time for these activities were more than twice as likely to report feeling happy than those without such opportunities.
Reference:
Fioroni, Sarah. Foy, Dan. 2024. Americans Sleeping Less, More Stressed. Gallup Poll Social Series — Wellbeing. April 15, 2024. Available electronically at: https://news.gallup.com/poll/642704/americans-sleeping-less-stressed.aspx?utm_source=alert&utm_medium=email&utm_content=morelink&utm_campaign=syndication Accessed: April 16, 2024.
