The Unhappiness Divide: A Society Segregated by Marriage and Social Ties The General Social Survey's recent numbers paint a stark picture of America's happiness crisis.
For nearly five decades, the balance between "very happy" and "not too happy" remained remarkably stable, but since the pandemic hit, it has plummeted to unprecedented levels a net loss of 20 points, according to economist Sam Peltzman.
The conventional wisdom attributes this decline to economic hardship, particularly among lower income Americans. However, Peltzman's data tells a different story.