U.S. Emotions Mixed After a Tense Month of COVID-19 Response

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Amid this unprecedented disruption in U.S. society, Americans are experiencing a mix of positive and negative emotions. Majorities of Americans report that they felt happiness and enjoyment, but also stress and worry, when asked about the feelings they experienced the previous day.

	National adults
	%
Happiness	67
Enjoyment	61
Stress	60
Worry	58
Boredom	45
Sadness	32
Anger	24
Loneliness	24
Gallup Panel, March 24-29, 2020

These data are from a probability-based Gallup Panel survey conducted online March 24-29. During this polling period, the U.S. surpassed all other countries in confirmed cases of COVID-19; President Donald Trump signed a $2 trillion stimulus package to respond to the health crisis; and more U.S. states as well as the District of Columbia issued stay-at-home directives.

With many Americans at home, nearly half report experiencing boredom (45%). About one in three are experiencing sadness (32%), and about one in four experience anger (24%) or loneliness (24%).

Americans' responses don't indicate how their emotions have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, but serve as a key baseline of the public's psyche after a month of escalating response to the virus -- by the U.S. government, employers and Americans themselves -- and how their emotions may evolve going forward.

Gallup found that emotions were stable between the first half of the polling period, March 24-26, and the latter half of the period, March 27-29. However, reports of boredom did rise between the two periods, from 41% in the first half of polling to 49% in the second half. This rise in boredom may be the effect of people having the weekend off with fewer outlets to entertain themselves, but it could also be the result of more people being confined to their homes as more state and local governments impose restrictions.

Reports of Negative Emotions Much Higher Among Democrats Than Republicans

Political party identification is the most significant factor in people's reports on the range of emotions they experienced the previous day. In many cases, reports of experiencing certain emotions were highest, or lowest, among Democrats or Republicans compared with any other demographic or attitudinal subgroup Gallup measured.

Gallup found in mid-March that U.S. Democrats were markedly more worried than Republicans that they or someone in their family could be exposed to COVID-19. Currently, Democrats report experiencing worry (70%) at a higher rate than any other subgroup Gallup measures, while Republicans are the least worried of any group (44%).

Similarly, Democrats (28%) are much more likely to say they are angry, while Republicans (18%) are least likely to say this. Republicans are also the least likely to experience sadness (23%), but they are the most likely to experience the positive emotions of happiness (78%) and enjoyment (70%).

Similar proportions of Democrats (45%) and Republicans (42%) report experiencing boredom. Independents fall somewhere between Republicans and Democrats in their reports of most emotions.

	Democrats	Independents	Republicans
	%	%	%
Happiness	61	66	78
Enjoyment	55	61	70
Stress	67	64	48
Worry	70	58	44
Boredom	45	48	42
Sadness	39	33	23
Anger	28	27	18
Loneliness	27	27	17
Gallup Panel, March 24-29, 2020

Negative Emotions Generally Higher Among Low-Income Households

While majorities of people across income brackets report experiencing happiness and enjoyment, lower-income households experience these positive emotions least.

Lower-income households are the most likely of the three income groups to experience loneliness and sadness, and they are the only income group in which a majority report experiencing boredom.

Differences are smaller among the income groups on measures of stress and worry, which majorities of all income groups report experiencing. Roughly one in four people in each group experience anger.

Gallup has previously found that Americans in low-income households are more likely to experience negative emotions, like worry and stress. These emotions could be exacerbated by the health crisis, however, as low-income employees in the U.S. have been disproportionately affected by the crisis at work.

	Household income less than $36,000	Household income $36,000-<$90,000	Household income $90,000+
	%	%	%
Happiness	59	68	70
Enjoyment	52	62	63
Stress	62	57	64
Worry	64	55	60
Boredom	52	47	41
Sadness	45	31	28
Anger	28	24	23
Loneliness	41	23	18
Gallup Panel, March 24-29, 2020

Lower Levels of Loneliness Reported Among Married Adults in the U.S.

Married Americans report greater levels of the positive emotions of happiness and enjoyment than do unmarried adults.

Married adults are also less likely to report experiencing boredom -- and less than half as likely as unmarried Americans to report experiencing loneliness.

	Married	Unmarried
	%	%
Happiness	72	62
Enjoyment	65	56
Stress	58	63
Worry	57	60
Boredom	40	51
Sadness	30	36
Anger	23	26
Loneliness	15	38
Gallup Panel, March 24-29, 2020

Higher Levels of Happiness -- but Also Stress -- Among Parents

Parents of children younger than 18 are among the groups reporting the highest levels of happiness Gallup has measured, and more so than adults who are not parents of minor children. Parents also report lower levels of loneliness than nonparents.

But parents of minor children also experience greater levels of stress and worry than do Americans who don't have minor children.

	Parents of children under 18	Not parents of children under 18
	%	%
Happiness	76	64
Enjoyment	64	59
Stress	68	58
Worry	64	56
Boredom	40	47
Sadness	29	33
Anger	26	25
Loneliness	17	26
Gallup Panel, March 24-29, 2020

Bottom Line

Most Americans have managed to retain happiness in their lives despite the disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but stress and worry are also present for the majority.

The peak in the number of COVID-19-related deaths in the U.S. has yet to come, and the toll it will take on Americans -- many of whom are confined to their homes -- and their emotions is hard to predict. President Trump has urged that social distancing practices continue nationwide until April 30, and nearly all states by now have stay-at-home restrictions in place.

But a complicated blend of emotions reveals itself in U.S. parents of young children, who are more likely to be stressed and worried but also happier than those without young children.

Learn more about how the Gallup Panel works.