Current political situation stressing out Americans: study

Washington: More than half of Americans, including both Democrats and Republicans, feel the current political climate is a significant source of stress, according to a new survey.

Two-thirds of Americans said they are stressed about the future of US, according to the new report by American Psychological Association's (APA). Over half of Americans (57 per cent) said the current political climate is a very or somewhat significant source of stress, and nearly half (49 per cent) said the same about the
outcome of the election, according to a poll conducted in January.

While Democrats were more likely than Republicans (72 per cent vs 26 per cent) to report the outcome of the 2016 presidential election as a significant source of stress, a majority of Republicans (59 per cent) said the future of the nation was a significant source of stress for them, compared with 76 per cent of Democrats.
"The stress we're seeing around political issues is deeply concerning, because it's hard for Americans to get away from it," said Katherine C Nordal, APA's executive director for professional practice.

"We're surrounded by conversations, news and social media that constantly remind us of the issues that are stressing us the most," said Nordal. The survey was conducted among 1,019 adults who reside in the US, asking them to rate the sources of their stress, including the political climate, the future of our nation and the outcome of the 2016 US presidential election.

More Americans said that they experienced physical and emotional symptoms of stress in the prior month, health symptoms that the APA warns could have long-term consequences. APA's January survey showed the percentage of Americans reporting acts of terrorism as a very or somewhat significant
source of stress increased from 51 per cent to 59 per cent from August 2016 to January 2017.

Additionally, the percentage reporting police violence toward minorities as a very or somewhat significant source of stress increased from 36 per cent to 44 per cent during the same period. Since August, the percentage of Americans saying personal safety is a very or somewhat significant source of stress increased from 29 percent to 34 percent - the highest percentage noted since the question was first asked in 2008.

Reported stress varied by education, with 53 per cent of those with more than a high school education reporting very or somewhat significant stress related to the election outcome, compared to 38 per cent of those with a high school education
or less. A greater percentage of Americans who reside in urban areas said the same (62 per cent), compared with those who live in suburban (45 per cent) and rural (33 per cent) areas.