US Workers Most Stressed in the World: Gallup

Alistair Berg/Getty Images

Workers in North America were more stressed last year than their counterparts around the globe, according to a new Gallup survey.

Fifty-seven percent of workers in the U.S. and Canada said they felt stressed by work the day before they were surveyed, according Gallup’s annual State of the Global Workplace report, including 62 percent of women and 52 percent of men. The figures represented an uptick of 8 percent compared to 2019, and stood in stark contrast to Western Europe, where 39 percent of workers said they felt stress — a 7 percent decline compared to 2019.

North Americans did report experiencing slightly less sadness and anger than some of their counterparts. Twenty-two percent said they felt angry at work the day before they contacted, while 26 percent said they felt sad. The Middle East and North Africa topped the list by both measures, with 38 percent reporting anger and 35 percent reporting sadness. South Asia placed second, at 32 percent and 34 percent.

Nonetheless, the lack of workplace satisfaction did not appear to significantly undermine how positive respondents were for their own futures. Asked whether they were experiencing the “best possible life” at the time they were surveyed — or expected to be five years — a meager 30 percent of men and 34 percent of women around the globe responded affirmatively, compared to 56 percent in the U.S. and Canada. Australia and New Zealand placed a narrow first in that category, with 57 percent of respondents responding positively.

Gallup said the study included 1,000 to 2,000 respondents in each region it included, with a margin of error ranging from plus or minus 1 to 5.4 percent.