Americans consistently indicate politics as a major source of stress in their lives, and 69% of U.S. adults report the 2024 presidential election is a “significant source of stress,” according to the American Psychological Association.
This statistic represents an increase from 2016, when the same poll found that just 52% of Americans considered the election a significant stressor.
“One of the other sort of unique aspects about politics is it’s virtually impossible to avoid,” Dr. Kevin Smith, a professor of political science at the University of Nebraska Lincoln told the APA’s Kim Mills. “Most of us have smartphones these days and it’s literally in our pockets. I mean, you really, really have to work hard to avoid politics these days.”
In October, Evanston’s Lake Street Church hosted a forum for the community to learn coping strategies and manage fears about the election.
Election anxiety has been a headline for presidential elections going back decades. However, it has been on the rise in recent years.
In 1996, a Wall Street Journal poll found that 40% of Americans believed the election outcome would make a “big” difference in their lives. Eight years later, in 2004, that figure jumped to 72%. This year, a WSJ poll found that 87% of voters believed the U.S. would suffer “permanent damage” if their candidate loses.
The rate of election anxiety is greater among Kamala Harris supporters than among Donald Trump supporters, according to The Washington Post.
“For nearly a decade, people have faced a political climate that is highly charged, which has led to the erosion of civil discourse and strained our relationships with our friends and our families,” APA CEO Arthur Evans Jr. said in a news release. “But isolating ourselves from our communities is a recipe for adding more stress to our lives.”
A 2023 study published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found a link between social media use and increased anxiety. Studies have also shown that social media algorithms can create partisan echo chambers, limiting exposure to diverse perspectives.
The APA recommends five steps to manage political stress: taking breaks from the news, finding commonalities with others, sharing concerns with local representatives, engaging in soothing activities and prioritizing physical and mental health.
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