Poll finds significant declines in U.S. well-being last year

Gallup and Sharecare have released the 2017 results from the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index, which found significant declines in well-being across the United States. Findings painted a bleak picture of the well-being of Americans with zero states improving well-being by a statistically significant measure—marking a first in the nearly 10-year history of the Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index.

The researchers interviewed more than 160,000 adults about purpose, social, financial, community, and physical metrics to assess overall well-being. The Gallup-Sharecare Well-Being Index found improvement in several traditional measures of physical health in 2017, such as the proportion of Americans reporting participation in regular exercise, abstention from smoking, and being overweight. Community well-being—defined as liking where you live, feeling safe, and having pride in your community—also improved for Americans between 2016 and 2017.

Although improvements in certain physical health categories and community well-being signal progress, the sharp declines in overall well-being were driven by drops in purpose and social well-being metrics, as well as the mental health aspects of physical well-being. Out of a possible score of 100, the national Well-Being Index score dropped from 62.1 in 2016 to 61.5 in 2017, marking the largest year-over-year decline since the index began in 2008.

South Dakota and Vermont ranked at the top of the list for highest well-being, with a score of 64.1 out of 100 possible points. Hawaii ranked third, with a score of 63.4, making it one of only two states that have ranked in the top 10 every year since Sharecare and Gallup began measuring well-being in 2008. West Virginia, Louisiana, and Arkansas were at the bottom of the list with scores of 58.8, 58.9, 59.3, respectively.

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