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Why is America Feeling So Negative?
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Key Takeaways
- YouGov’s weekly tracker shows a growing divergence between positive and negative feelings throughout the year.
- Frustration among Americans has climbed 15 percentage points (p.p.) since January 2025, while optimism has dropped 5 points.
- Economic anxiety is now the top issue for Americans, correlating with rising negative sentiment.
Each week, YouGov’s ongoing sentiment tracker asks Americans how they’ve felt over the past seven days. Respondents can select multiple emotions, and the results provide a real-time snapshot of collective mood. Emotions are split between positive (e.g. happy, optimistic, inspired) and negative (e.g. sad, frustrated, stressed) categories.
While emotional data can be highly subjective, long-term patterns are valuable in identifying shifts in public sentiment—and 2025 is seeing a decisive move toward the negative.
| Week | Happy | Optimistic | Inspired | Sad | Frustrated | Stressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 02/01/2025 | 63% | 35% | 23% | 23% | 25% | 35% |
| 09/01/2025 | 57% | 33% | 23% | 20% | 26% | 35% |
| 16/01/2025 | 56% | 33% | 21% | 24% | 27% | 35% |
| 23/01/2025 | 57% | 32% | 26% | 21% | 28% | 35% |
| 30/01/2025 | 52% | 33% | 23% | 28% | 34% | 42% |
| 06/02/2025 | 51% | 32% | 23% | 24% | 32% | 39% |
| 13/02/2025 | 53% | 33% | 22% | 23% | 34% | 41% |
| 20/02/2025 | 52% | 31% | 22% | 20% | 31% | 37% |
| 27/02/2025 | 53% | 33% | 20% | 24% | 32% | 39% |
| 06/03/2025 | 52% | 31% | 22% | 26% | 35% | 43% |
| 13/03/2025 | 51% | 29% | 21% | 25% | 37% | 41% |
| 20/03/2025 | 50% | 31% | 19% | 25% | 35% | 41% |
| 27/03/2025 | 50% | 29% | 19% | 23% | 34% | 42% |
| 03/04/2025 | 53% | 26% | 19% | 23% | 31% | 38% |
| 10/04/2025 | 51% | 29% | 22% | 23% | 35% | 43% |
| 17/04/2025 | 51% | 28% | 19% | 21% | 31% | 40% |
| 24/04/2025 | 51% | 31% | 20% | 24% | 34% | 41% |
| 01/05/2025 | 51% | 28% | 18% | 22% | 35% | 42% |
| 08/05/2025 | 56% | 33% | 22% | 24% | 34% | 42% |
| 15/05/2025 | 54% | 31% | 21% | 22% | 31% | 38% |
| 22/05/2025 | 55% | 29% | 18% | 25% | 35% | 42% |
| 29/05/2025 | 55% | 31% | 20% | 24% | 38% | 42% |
| 05/06/2025 | 56% | 29% | 19% | 24% | 34% | 41% |
| 12/06/2025 | 54% | 31% | 22% | 24% | 34% | 39% |
| 19/06/2025 | 56% | 27% | 19% | 25% | 35% | 39% |
| 26/06/2025 | 52% | 27% | 19% | 27% | 38% | 48% |
| 03/07/2025 | 51% | 29% | 19% | 25% | 41% | 46% |
| 10/07/2025 | 54% | 29% | 17% | 31% | 40% | 46% |
| 17/07/2025 | 52% | 26% | 17% | 27% | 39% | 45% |
| 24/07/2025 | 56% | 29% | 22% | 27% | 39% | 45% |
| 31/07/2025 | 55% | 32% | 20% | 26% | 38% | 44% |
| 07/08/2025 | 54% | 30% | 18% | 28% | 36% | 45% |
| 14/08/2025 | 55% | 29% | 16% | 24% | 35% | 42% |
| 21/08/2025 | 55% | 30% | 19% | 27% | 40% | 46% |
The most obvious takeaway? Frustration has jumped from 25% to 40% of respondents, while optimism fell from 35% to 30%, showing a clear 10-point divergence over eight months.
What’s Fueling America’s Bad Vibes?
While emotions are complex, the economy likely plays a starring role in this shift. In a recent CBS News poll, 70% of Americans said they view the economy as “bad,” and personal financial outlooks have dimmed even further compared to earlier in the year.
In fact, Statista data from July 2025 shows that “inflation and the high cost of living” now top the list of personal challenges, ahead of healthcare, housing, and crime.
At the same time, YouGov’s own consumer confidence index dropped for the second consecutive month in July, reflecting anxiety about both household budgets and the broader economy.
Emotions Moving in Opposite Directions
The biggest emotional driver on the positive side, feeling “happy”, has declined 6 percentage points since January. Meanwhile, the negative feeling of “stressed” is now affecting more than one-third of the population each week, surpassing levels seen during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This diverging emotional trajectory reveals a public mood increasingly dominated by worry and weariness—one that may continue unless economic pressures ease or confidence rebounds.