U.S. happiness drops 10-15 percentage points to record lows across all demographics
Updated
Updated · Boing Boing · Apr 28
U.S. happiness drops 10-15 percentage points to record lows across all demographics
12 articles · Updated · Boing Boing · Apr 28
University of Chicago economist Sam Peltzman’s 2026 analysis shows declines in every age, income, ideology, and gender group since 2020.
Consumer sentiment and worker satisfaction have reached their lowest levels in decades, with the World Happiness Report ranking the U.S. at its worst ever.
Experts attribute the decline to economic compression, negative media, and eroding social trust, with Anglophone countries experiencing sharper drops than others.
How is the national happiness crash directly linked to the rise in 'deaths of despair'?
Why are young adults in wealthy Anglophone nations now unhappier than their grandparents?
If the economy has strong jobs, why does public sentiment remain at a historic low?
What is Finland's secret to happiness, and why can't other Western nations replicate it?
Can technology be redesigned to solve the loneliness epidemic it helped create?