Remember when Elmo made headlines online in January after asking people how they were doing and briefly becoming X’s unofficial therapist?
An X-user who calls himself “The world is on fire, Elmo” Not a bee “No amount of tickling will fix this,” the usually cheery “Sesame Street” character said.
“This world is full of pain, anger, violence, disease, dictators seeking power and poverty,” said a user under the handle ” Live as if someone opened the door In a lengthy post he added: “As HG Wells said, the gap between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’ is widening.”
These are just two of over 20,000 replies.
Christina Vittas, Elmo’s social media manager, told The Times that she was surprised by the unexpected response and grateful that the Muppet’s simple question “opened up a conversation about the serious mental health crisis in our country.”
Six months later, Elmo’s creators Sesame Workshop cooperated with Harris Poll To get a more thorough look at the state of Americans’ mental health, they conducted 2,012 online interviews in May on a range of topics with a nationally representative sample of Americans ages 16 and older.
the result Happiness Report The findings, released this week, included:
• 27% of respondents said their own or a family member’s mental or emotional health was negatively impacting their well-being. This was roughly the same as the 28% who said it was negatively affected by physical health issues. The only issue having a bigger impact on survey participants was financial security and personal finances, with 41% saying they were worried about this.
• Mental and emotional health is particularly strained for teens, with 54% of 16- and 17-year-olds surveyed saying psychological issues are negatively impacting their overall well-being. 32% of parents and 41% of people who identify as LGBTQ+ said the same.
• When asked about their biggest concerns about their future well-being, 90% cited their own and their family’s mental and emotional health as somewhat or very important. For comparison, 89% said the same about physical health, financial security and personal finances, and having a “safe place to call home.”
• 77% of people polled said the U.S. should prioritize investing in emotional and mental health to improve the well-being of future generations. That’s slightly lower than the 80% who called for more investment in economic security and slightly higher than the 76% who said quality education and learning opportunities should be a priority.
• 44% of respondents said their family “is still being negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” including 57% of Black Americans and 56% of Latinos surveyed, as well as 63% of Gen Z (ages 18-27) and 57% of Millennials (ages 28-43).
• When presented with a list of adjectives to describe the average American adult, only 37% chose “kind,” 35% chose “compassionate,” and 33% chose “empathetic.” However, 56% said the fictional adult was “anxious,” and 44% said he was “difficult to deal with.”
• The survey found overwhelming support for the idea that kindness is essential to the well-being of society, with 91% agreeing that “kindness fosters stronger bonds between people and makes us more empathetic and supportive.”
• 82% of respondents said their own mental health would improve if kindness was more common, and 89% said a kinder society would be better for children.
• 93% of people surveyed say they have performed at least one act of kindness in the past three months: 57% helped a friend or family member in need, 57% listened to others without judgement, 39% donated to charity, 35% helped a stranger, and 22% volunteered for a cause.
• Despite all this kindness, most people say they don’t often see the same kindness in others, with 55% of respondents agreeing that “being kind isn’t a priority for most people.” Additionally, 64% agree that “most people don’t make an effort to help others.”
• 73% of Americans say they wish they had learned more about regulating their emotions as children. 84% of parents agree.
• 67% of Americans wish their parents had been more open about their mental health struggles. This is especially true among younger generations of Americans, with 77% of teens, 77% of Gen Z, and 78% of millennials saying the same thing.
Sesame Workshop Explained the report He said the index is “the first of its kind” and that the U.S. will continue to reach out to Americans “to continue to understand the true state of well-being of Americans and their families.”
