Like anxiety, stress is also a pervading mental health problem in the US. In a survey by Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, they have found out that close to half of the US population are stressed in a week. The exact number is 45%. What this suggests is that roughly 135 million people in the US are stressed in a span of a week.
While stress, as a mental health concern, is rising in the US, it is necessary to take at the factors why more and more people experience stress in day to day functionalities.
Factors that Contribute to Stress
According to the American Psychological Association’s Harris Poll, a survey revealed that 62% of adults in the US pointed out societal division as one of the factors that cause stress. This is evidenced by the growing political, social, and economic divide that adults in the US experience. This number is further magnified because of social media, which tends to make issues bigger, and marginalize the ones that are lost in the noise of all the content, comments, and feed.
In addition, according to the same poll, more than half, or 54% of adults in the US shared feelings of isolation. Also, half of these respondents, or 50%, shared that they feel left. This is ironic because while the vision and goal of social media and the Internet was to connect and bridge people together, more and more people feel disconnected from each other.
Stress Statistics by Age
According to the American Psychological Association, 63% of adults ages 18-34 years old considered moving to another country due to the country’s situation which is a contributor to stress that adults experience.
The adults are not the only ones burdened by stress due to isolation and disconnection. Even Gen Z and Millennials, those in the 20s and 30s, reported a high level of stress. According to APA, adults ages 18-34 years old have a 6 out of 10 stress level. This is due to financial concerns, career decisions, and the uncertainty of the future.
Stress Statistics in Other Demographic Variables
While there have been limited reported data when it comes to the number of people experiencing stress when it comes to ethnicity, gender, and education level, it can be said that those who are marginalized and vulnerable to stress experience it more because of other structural and social factors.
Tips to Manage Stress
In order to manage stress, mindfulness experts suggest physical movement like walking, running, hiking, or any form of physical activity to take the mind off of focusing on the stressors.
Others recommend spending time with friends and family to connect and engage and truly develop bond. Since isolation and loneliness is one of the factors that contribute to stress, being emotionally engaged with a person could help manage stress daily.
Another way to manage stressor is to disconnect from social media. Others call this digital detox, which allows the person to pause and not be bombarded with distressing news, constant notification, and endless scrolling of content which at times could be the cause of stressors themselves.
Lastly, one could also manage stress by, as what they say, “touching grass” or spending time outside, grounding, watching the sun rise or the sun set, or allotting time to be in nature. These activities allow the brain to pause for a bit, slow one’s breathing, divert attention, and manage certain factors that contribute to more stress.
While we cannot avoid stress in our day to day life, we can take control of our response to these stressors and live full productive lives.
References
(2024, January 3). Reducing Work Stress Can Significantly Improve Heart Health – The American Institute of Stress. The American Institute of Stress. https://www.stress.org/news/reducing-work-stress-can-significantly-improve-heart-health/
(2025). Apa.org. https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/stress-in-america/2025
(2025). The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Osu.edu. https://wexnermedical.osu.edu/mediaroom/pressreleaselisting/nearly-half-of-americans-are-stressed-at-least-once-a-week-and-1-in-6-are-stressed-every-day
Medaris, A. (2023, November 1). Gen Z adults and younger millennials are “completely overwhelmed” by stress. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/generation-z-millennials-young-adults-worries
