Stock markets are booming (24 new record highs so-far in 2026), and 62% of U.S. households own stocks. Home values have never been higher, with the home-ownership rate at 65%. We haven’t faced a real recession in 17 years, and the unemployment sits at a mere 4.3%. U.S. life expectancy hit a record high, crime a record low. Optimism should be through the roof.
And yet…
Consumer sentiment is at its lowest point in 75 years. 59% of Americans say our country’s best years are behind us, 60% see us on the wrong track and just 21% are satisfied with the ways things are going. “Nearly 70% believe the American dream—that if you work hard, you will get ahead—no longer holds true or never did, the highest level in nearly 15 years of WSJ surveys.”
What gives? Why are Americans so anxious right now?
The 21st century has been one damn thing after another — national security crises (9/11, “forever wars”, global pandemic), economic crises (dot com crash, Great Recession; inflation spikes), and societal crises (COVID closures, school shootings, police violence, open borders). And Americans have never had more immediate, inescapable, non-stop access to “breaking” news, streaming video, unintentional misinformation & purposeful disinformation making each crisis feel personal & overwhelming.