Rising cost of living, disappointment with political leaders, and crushing loneliness are souring moods in the Land of the Free
From a sputtering economy and high inflation to a lack of trust in political leadership, Americans are
expressing displeasure with many facets of their daily lives.
In the annual World Happiness Report, the United States plunged eight places to 23rd, a historic low for the
land famous for its pearly white smiles. It’s the first time since the report launched back in 2012 that the US
did not feature among the world’s 20 happiest countries.
So what’s dragging Americans down? Perhaps the best place to start is with the economy, which has left many
people in the dust as the rich just keep getting richer. Consumer prices for basic grocery items remain above
what they were in January 2021, when President Joe Biden assumed office. Prices for chicken (+26%), bread
(+30%), sugar (+44%), and butter (+27%) are enough to trigger many shoppers, while a simple trip to a restaurant
has become a rare luxury for many financially strapped consumers. Meanwhile, rent costs have surged by 20% over
the same period.
Amid this sticker shock at the checkout line, Americans have also expressed a heavy amount of skepticism with
the political system. A comprehensive Pew Research Center survey reveals high levels of dissatisfaction with the
three branches of government, the Democratic and Republican parties, as well as the candidates for office.
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Among the findings, just 4% of US adults say the political system is working extremely or very well; another 23%
report it is working somewhat well. About six in ten (63%) express not too much or no confidence at all in the
future of the US political system.
A growing proportion of Americans are expressing contempt for both political parties. Nearly three in ten (28%)
express unfavorable opinions of both parties, the highest share in three decades of polling. And a comparable
share of respondents (25%) do not feel well-represented by either party.
While trust in government has remained near historic lows for much of the last two decades, today it stands
among the lowest levels dating back nearly seven decades. And now, three years after the January 6 protests at
the Capitol Building, more Americans believe their country is heading for a political smash-up.
According to a CBS/YouGov poll released in January, 49% of respondents expect some sort of violence in future
political contests, like the upcoming showdown between Donald Trump and Joe Biden on November 4. Meanwhile, a
full 70% agreed with the statement that American democracy is ‘threatened’.
Not since the Civil War period have the American people witnessed such stark political divisions, and it seems
to be just a matter of time before the Blue and Gray battle fatigues are back in style, albeit over entirely
different issues.
The Democrats and Republicans are trapped inside of their own iron-clad echo chambers, where they are prevented
from hearing their political opponents just across the aisle. This lack of a national dialogue, worsened by an
overtly pro-liberal media, is what spawned the so-called insurrection on January 6, and could easily trigger a
new bout of violence sometime down the road.
Feelings of loneliness is another thing dragging Americans down. In May 2023, US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy
called loneliness a “public health epidemic.” The latest Healthy Minds Monthly Poll from the American
Psychiatric Association (APA) reveals that, early in 2024, 30% of adults said they have “experienced feelings of
loneliness at least once a week over the past year, while 10% say they are lonely every day.”
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Somewhat surprisingly, younger people were more likely to experience these feelings, with 30% of Americans aged
18-34 reporting they are “lonely every day or several times a week, and single adults are nearly twice as likely
as married adults to say they have been lonely on a weekly basis over the past year (39% vs. 22%).”
Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that approximately one in ten Americans aged
12 and over takes antidepressant medication. More than 60% of Americans taking antidepressant medication have
taken it for two years or longer, with 14% having taken the medication for ten years or more.
So what is it that has put the American people in a grand funk? Needless to say, runaway inflation has prompted
a deep distrust of politicians and corporations, which, by the look of things, are only in business to fleece
the powerless consumers.
This alienation from the powers-that-be, together with feelings of loneliness, triggered by a disconnected
society that increasingly meets only online, has prompted a mental health emergency.
How can the American people begin to fix their broken society? It seems that the only answer is to begin
breaking down the walls that separate the various segments of society so that a national conversation can truly
begin.
So where are the world’s happiest places to live? According to the World Happiness Report, the majority of the
top ten happiest places are primarily northern countries that just happen to have the least amount of sunshine:
Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Sweden, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Australia.
The mayor of Paris has reiterated her proposal that Russian and Belarusian contestants stay away from this
summer’s Olympic Games in the French capital, despite them being officially allowed to compete as neutrals.
“I want to tell the Russian and Belarusian athletes that they are not welcome in Paris,” Anne Hidalgo told
Ukrainian athletes at a training center in Kiev on Thursday, while on a visit to Ukraine.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) initially pushed for a complete ban on competitors from Russia and
Belarus after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. However, last December the IOC ruled that a
limited number of people from the two countries could participate as AINs (individual neutral athletes).”
Hidalgo told Reuters earlier this month that she would prefer for Russian and Belarusian contestants not to come
at all. “We cannot act as if [the Russian military operation in Ukraine] did not exist,” she told Reuters.
When asked about Israel’s Olympic participation – in the context of the Gaza war, raging since the Hamas attack
on October 7 – Hidalgo insisted there was no comparison to be made.
Sanctioning Israeli athletes is “out of the question because Israel is a democracy,” she stated.
Russia has slammed the IOC’s difference in approach to Israeli and Russian contestants. Russian Foreign Minister
Sergey Lavrov has accused the Switzerland-based body of “political activism” and called its approach
self-discrediting.
The maximum numbers of Russian and Belarusian athletes that can qualify for the upcoming games are 55 and 28,
respectively. The IOC has noted that the teams are unlikely to actually meet the quota, with some 36 Russian and
22 Belarusian athletes expected to make it to the games, according to IOC director James Macleod.
Participants from the two nations can only compete in individual events, and not team sports, under a neutral
flag, and are barred from the Olympic opening ceremony.
Commenting on the restrictions faced by Russian and Belarusian competitors, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said
the move “destroys Olympic ideals and discriminates against the interests of Olympians.” Such restrictions run
“absolutely contrary to the entire ideology of the Olympic movement,” he insisted.
The mayor of Paris has reiterated her proposal that Russian and Belarusian contestants stay away from this summer’s Olympic Games in the French capital, despite them being officially allowed to compete as neutrals. “I want to tell the Russian and Belarusian athletes that they are not welcome in Paris,” Anne Hidalgo told Ukrainian athletes at a training center in Kiev on Thursday, while on a visit to Ukraine. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) initially pushed for a complete ban on competitors from Russia and Belarus after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict in February 2022. However, last December the IOC ruled that a limited number of people from the two countries could participate as AINs (individual neutral athletes).” Hidalgo told Reuters earlier this month that she would prefer for Russian and Belarusian contestants not to come at all. “We cannot act as if [the Russian military operation in Ukraine] did not exist,” she told Reuters. When asked about Israel’s Olympic participation – in the context of the Gaza war, raging since the Hamas attack on October 7 – Hidalgo insisted there was no comparison to be made. Sanctioning Israeli athletes is “out of the question because Israel is a democracy,” she stated. Russia has slammed the IOC’s difference in approach to Israeli and Russian contestants. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused the Switzerland-based body of “political activism” and called its approach self-discrediting. The maximum numbers of Russian and Belarusian athletes that can qualify for the upcoming games are 55 and 28, respectively. The IOC has noted that the teams are unlikely to actually meet the quota, with some 36 Russian and 22 Belarusian athletes expected to make it to the games, according to IOC director James Macleod. Participants from the two nations can only compete in individual events, and not team sports, under a neutral flag, and are barred from the Olympic opening ceremony. Commenting on the restrictions faced by Russian and Belarusian competitors, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the move “destroys Olympic ideals and discriminates against the interests of Olympians.” Such restrictions run “absolutely contrary to the entire ideology of the Olympic movement,” he insisted.