Americans are experiencing a spike in anxiety in President Joe Biden’s America due to rising prices, supply chain issues, and global uncertainty, the American Psychological Association’s annual “Stress in America” poll revealed.
The stress over the past year has piled on, as Americans continued to face coronavirus restrictions, inflation, and global conflicts under Biden’s presidency. The survey found a whopping 87 percent of Americans identifying “rise in prices of every day items due to inflation (e.g. gas prices, energy bills, grocery costs)” as a significant source of stress.
Eighty-one percent also pointed to supply chain issues as a significant source of stress, followed by global uncertainty (81 percent), potential retaliation from Russia (80 percent), and the Russian invasion of Ukraine (80 percent).
Additionally, 87 percent said that it “feels like there has been a constant stream of crises without a break over the last two years,” and 73 percent say they are “overwhelmed by the number of crises facing he world right now.” Further, 69 percent are worried the Russian invasion of Ukraine will lead to nuclear war, and the same percentage fear these are the beginning stages of a WWIII.
Americans’ stress about money, specifically, has reached the highest level since 2015 — 65 percent. Younger Americans, those 18-25, identify money as their top economic stress (82 percent), but that sentiment is also held by those in the 26-43 and 44-57 age group.
The poll’s results coincide with the release of the Department of Labor’s consumer price index (CPI) report, as inflation reaches another four-decade high. CPI rose 7.9 percent compared to one year ago as the prices of goods skyrocket:
Price increases over last year (CPI report)
Used Cars: +41.2%
Gasoline: +38.0%
Gas Utilities: +23.8%
Meats/Fish/Eggs: +13.0%
New Cars: +12.4%
Electricity: +9.0%
Food at home: +8.6%
Overall CPI: +7.9%
Food away from home: +6.8%
Apparel: +6.6%
Transportation: +6.6%
Shelter: +4.7%— Charlie Bilello (@charliebilello) March 10, 2022
Additionally, Thursday marked the fourth conservative day of gas prices soaring to a record high, reaching $4.318.
The survey was taken February 7-14, 2022, among 3,012 adults and “the sample data is accurate to within + 2.9 percentage points using a 95% confidence level.”
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