A recent Gallup poll indicates that less than half of Americans are “very satisfied” with their personal lives — a near-record low — though the most satisfied are those who are religious, married and upper-income.
At 47%, the percentage of U.S. adults who expressed high satisfaction with their lives dipped below half for only the third time in decades. Gallup has been recording these findings since 1979.
Gallup noted that Americans have expressed dissatisfaction with life during other periods of economic downturn, such as the lowest point of 46% in 2011 in the wake of the recession in the late 2000s.
The only other time the percentage of those “very satisfied” fell below half since 2001 was 47% in 2008, when the global recession was at its worst.
The most satisfied were married, college-educated respondents who made $100,000 or more and attended religious services weekly.
A recent study from Pew Research Center showed that young adults are taking the brunt of the nation’s economic uncertainty.
Despite being better educated, working longer hours, and earning higher incomes than their counterparts 30 years ago, more than half of those 18 to 34 are financially dependent on their parents.