It’s starting to look like the Unhappy States of America.
Beaten down by coronavirus lockdowns and soaring unemployment, America has descended into a gloomy mood, with more people saying they’re unhappy than at any other time in 48 years of record-keeping, according to a new survey.
Some 23% of Americans polled in late May said they felt less than happy, a historic surge for a figure that has stuck to a band between 10% and 14% for almost two decades, according to NORC, a pollster at the University of Chicago.
The share of people who characterized themselves as very happy hit 14%, the lowest rate for the question since its introduction in 1972.