Happiness & Life Satisfaction

Here’s a look at what surveys by Pew Research Center and other organizations have found about Americans’ mental health during the pandemic.

58% of those ages 18 to 29 have experienced high levels of psychological distress at least once between March 2020 and September 2022.

Large majorities in both parties say spending time with family provides them a great deal or quite a bit of meaning and fulfillment.

Students who are gay, lesbian or bisexual, as well as girls, were especially likely to say their mental health has suffered in the past year.

66% of women say that in the past year, they have personally thought at least some about big questions; 55% of men report the same.

Among those ages 18 to 29, friends and community often rank in the top three sources of meaning, fulfillment and satisfaction in their lives.

Republicans and Democrats differ substantially over several sources of meaning in life, including faith, freedom, health and hobbies.

Why is there so much suffering and evil in the world? This question can be particularly confounding for those who believe in a good and all-powerful God, as is often described in the Abrahamic religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam. For centuries, philosophers and theologians have grappled with this “problem of evil.”

Here are six facts about where Americans find meaning in life and how those responses have shifted over the past four years.

Nearly 19,000 adults in publics ranging from the UK, Italy, Greece, Japan, South Korea, Germany, and the U.S., among others, share where they find meaning in their lives and what keeps them going.