The events of the last decade have had a powerful effect on how Americans perceive themselves, so says a report by the Barna Group. According to these new study results, Americans are happier than they were in the 2000s, less busy but more lonely. Only slightly more are in serious financial debt, but a significant number are more concerned about the future.
Eight out of ten Americans consider themselves happy, a slight decrease from the nine out of ten that thought so in the 2000s. A third of Americans questioned descibed themselves as busy; nearly half of Americans said that 10 years ago, and slighly more (29 percent vs. 35 percent) describe themselves as “stressed out” now. But the number of those who self-identify as “lonely” has nearly doubled from 10 years ago, an interesting reality in the social media age.
More people are concerned about the future now than 10 years ago (77 percent vs. 64 percent). Forty-eight million Americans, 16 percent of those surveyed, said they carry serious financial debt; this is only a slight increase from 13 percent 10 years ago. Concern about the moral condition of the country has risen 13 percent from the 2000s.
These self-perceptions, says Barna president David Kinnaman, are something leaders need to pay attention to. “Self-perception is a fascinating science and should be turned into action by political, social and faith leaders,” he says. “Ideally, research should enable us to better communicate and lead our followers to a clearly defined preferable future.”
“The research points to many opportunities for the Christian community—the original social network—to provide genuine responses to the needs of today’s culture,” Kinnaman concludes. “The Church, when functioning properly, can address the rising epidemic of loneliness, financial strain and indebtedness, increasing concerns about morality, among many other things. Faith communities must respond to the “fearful” realities of the future with wisdom and love. After all, Jesus teaches that we should not be anxious about tomorrow, not even the changing psychographics of Americans.’’
