23.4%
2024 (latest)
VERY HAPPY
percent of adults "very happy" · 1972–2024 · higher is better · NORC General Social Survey (cumulative file 1972–2024)
30.3%
1972
36.4%
high · 1974
19.4%
low · 2021
−6.9 pts
since 1972
┊ dashed lines mark 1979 Oil shock & inflation peak · 1987 Black Monday crash · 1991 Gulf War recession · 2001 Dot-com bust & 9/11 · 2008 Global financial crisis · 2020 COVID-19 pandemic
Method & caveats. Taken all together, how would you say things are these days — would you say that you are very happy, pretty happy, or not too happy? NORC General Social Survey cumulative file, computed here from the public microdata: weighted (WTSSPS, NORC's post-stratification weight available for every year 1972–2024) share of valid responses. 2021 moved to a push-to-web design during the pandemic and 2022/2024 are mixed-mode; NORC advises caution comparing 2021+ with the in-person years, so treat 2021 as a seam. Years with fewer than 200 weighted responses are dropped.
Sources
Every value on this page is read from the publisher below. Current and historical source documents:
- https://gss.norc.org/get-the-data/stata.html
- https://gss.norc.org/content/dam/gss/get-the-data/documents/stata/GSS_stata.zip
- https://github.com/danielmiessler/substrate/tree/main/Data/US-Societal-Health
Data
| Year | Very Happy | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 23.4% | −1.4 pts |
| 2022 | 24.8% | +5.4 pts |
| 2021 | 19.4% | −12 pts |
| 2018 | 31.5% | +1.1 pts |
| 2016 | 30.4% | −1.5 pts |
| 2014 | 31.9% | +0.2 pts |
| 2012 | 31.7% | +3.7 pts |
| 2010 | 28% | −2.9 pts |
| 2008 | 30.9% | −1.3 pts |
| 2006 | 32.2% | +0.0 pts |
| 2004 | 32.2% | −0.4 pts |
| 2002 | 32.6% | −2.1 pts |
| 2000 | 34.7% | +1.3 pts |
| 1998 | 33.4% | +1.2 pts |
| 1996 | 32.2% | +2.2 pts |
| 1994 | 30% | −1.4 pts |
| 1993 | 31.4% | −0.3 pts |
| 1991 | 31.7% | −3.4 pts |
| 1990 | 35.1% | +0.9 pts |
| 1989 | 34.2% | −1.9 pts |
| 1988 | 36.1% | +2.5 pts |
| 1987 | 33.6% | +0.8 pts |
| 1986 | 32.8% | +3.7 pts |
| 1985 | 29.1% | −6.1 pts |
| 1984 | 35.2% | +3.8 pts |
| 1983 | 31.4% | −2.5 pts |
| 1982 | 33.9% | −0.2 pts |
| 1980 | 34.1% | +0.5 pts |
| 1978 | 33.6% | −1.9 pts |
| 1977 | 35.5% | +1.1 pts |
| 1976 | 34.4% | +1.9 pts |
| 1975 | 32.5% | −3.9 pts |
| 1974 | 36.4% | +0.3 pts |
| 1973 | 36.1% | +5.8 pts |
| 1972 | 30.3% | — |
Also in Happiness & Outlook