Americans report more happiness as states start to reopen: Gallup

Americans are reporting more happiness as states begin to reopen amid the coronavirus pandemic, according to a Gallup poll released Monday. 

Seventy-two percent of Americans surveyed reported feeling happiness “during a lot of the day yesterday” based on the poll conducted from late April to early May — a 5-point increase from the 67 percent who said the same in a poll conducted one month prior.

The Gallup poll also found that fewer Americans report they are feeling worried. Forty-seven percent of respondents said they experienced “worry” in the recent poll — a 12-point decrease from the 59 percent who said the same in a similar Gallup poll a month before.

Reports of boredom also slightly decreased — from 46 percent to 41 percent — from the month before, based on the poll.

Reports of experiencing “loneliness” held steady at 24 percent, according to the poll. 

Americans in households with less than $36,000 annual income are more likely to report feeling worry, boredom and loneliness and less likely to report happiness than compared with Americans in households with more income, according to the recent Gallup survey. 

Just 56 percent of Americans in households with less than $36,000 annual income reported feeling happiness. However, 74 percent and 75 percent of Americans in households making $36,000 to $90,000 and more than $90,0000 reported the same, respectively, based on the poll.

Fifty-eight percent of Americans in households in the lower income bracket said they experienced “worry,” while just 44 percent and 48 percent of Americans in middle and higher-income households reported the same, respectively, based on the poll. 

The poll also found a partisan divide, with Republicans more likely to report happiness compared with Democrats, and less likely than Democrats to report worry and loneliness. 

The shifts in attitudes come as states have begun to lift coronavirus restrictions to various degrees, with some reopening nonessential businesses including restaurants and bars for dine-in services with limited capacity.

Results for the Gallup poll are based on self-administered web surveys conducted April 27-May 10 with a random sample of 8,712 adults who are members of the Gallup Panel. There is a margin of error of 2 percentage points.