Mar 13, 2021 - Politics & Policy

Gallup: Americans' mood hits 16-month high

Jacob Knutson

Firefighters, medical workers and first responders gather at Northern Westchester Hospital in New Rochelle, New York, on March 11. — Firefighters, medical workers and first responders gather at Northern Westchester Hospital in New Rochelle, New York, on March 11 to mark the one year anniversary of the first Covid-19 patient admission to the hospital. Photo: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The percentage of "thriving" Americans rose to 54% in February, nearly recouping the losses since before the coronavirus pandemic in October 2019, per new Gallup polling.

Why it matters: That's up from 48% in December, the low-point since last April. It partially reflects the resolution of the 2020 election and the recent drop in daily coronavirus cases in the country, according to Gallup.

Context: Gallup classifies Americans as "thriving," "struggling" or "suffering" based on how they rate their present and future lives on a scale numbered from 0 to 10.

Those who rate their current life a 7 or higher and their anticipated life in five years an 8 or higher are classified as thriving.

The big picture: Over the past year, the "extraordinary spikes in stress and worry far exceeded the increases gauged during the Great Recession."

Methodology: This survey is based on web responses from 3,735 U.S. adults captured from Feb. 15-21, 2021.

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Gallup: Americans' mood hits 16-month high

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