A new national report from The Common Good reveals a stark reality: U.S. happiness is falling at one of the fastest rates in the developed world.
As CBS News reports, the latest edition of America’s Report Card © gives the United States a grade of D+ in Happiness. The U.S. is no longer keeping pace with its traditional peers — and it’s being overtaken by countries Americans don’t expect to be ahead of us: Lithuania, Mexico, Israel, and the United Arab Emirates, according to global happiness data and national surveys measuring social connection, loneliness, and mental well-being.
Key Findings
- The U.S. has fallen from 11th to 24th place in global happiness rankings from 2012 to 2025 — one of the steepest declines among wealthy democracies.
- Loneliness has reached epidemic levels: the U.S. is among the top five loneliest countries studied, with 21% of Americans reporting feeling lonely always or almost always.
- Polarization is fueling unhappiness: with 62% of Americans saying the country is too divided to function, and fewer than half trusting their neighbors, national division is compounding isolation, weakening communities, and pushing life satisfaction downward.
- Social media is eroding well-being: excessive screen time is linked to higher loneliness, anxiety, and depression, particularly among young Americans.
- A historic generational happiness gap exists: Americans over 60 are among the happiest in the world, while those under 30 rank 62nd globally, reporting declining life satisfaction, purpose, and social support.
Carries Major Societal Consequences
The report warns that declining happiness is not just an emotional issue — it carries major societal consequences, including rising deaths of despair, political polarization, and weakening institutions.
“This isn’t random decline — it reflects stress, instability, worsening health outcomes, loneliness, and a loss of trust in the systems meant to support us. If we want a stronger future, we have to understand what Americans are experiencing and why,” The Common Good posted on Facebook.
“We are a wealthy nation with an unhappy public. America excels at creating prosperity, but we are failing to create belonging, connection, and trust,” said Patricia Duff, founder of The Common Good. “Happiness is not a luxury. It is a measure of whether society is working. America can — and must — do better.”
The report concludes that the United States has the resources to reverse the trend but needs a new mindset: from measuring prosperity by economic output to measuring progress by the well-being of our people.
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