December 1, 2003
THE REDDING OF AMERICA:
American spirit far from sagging, survey reveals (Jennifer Harper, December 1, 2003, The Washington Times)
According to a Gallup poll, 87 percent of the nation -- nine out of 10 Americans -- deem their mental health and emotional well-being either excellent or good. Two-thirds of the respondents said they had not experienced a single day of melancholy in the past month. [...]Meanwhile, things are not too shabby in the annual "Feel Good Index," a survey of 1,017 adults released Nov. 19 by Harris Polls to reflect our attitudes about everyday life.
Ninety-two percent of those surveyed said they felt good about their family and home, 89 percent approved of their quality of life overall, 86 percent enjoyed their social life, 85 percent were upbeat about their health and 84 percent about their standard of living.
Seventy-eight percent felt good about their town of residence, 70 percent approved of the morals and values in their community, and 64 percent were pleased with their job. [...]
Half felt good about "the state of the nation," and 47 percent approved of the morals and values of the country.
That figure has risen 13 points since the poll was taken in 1998 during the Clinton administration.
All of which raises the question of who the media and the Democrats are talking to when they portray this as a time of inordinate angst. Posted by Orrin Judd at December 1, 2003 10:27 AM
Isn't it a fairly common American phenomena for nine-tenths of us to feel pretty good about our own lives but sympathize with the half of the country we think live lives of abysmal misery?
Posted by: David Cohen at December 1, 2003 11:09 AMThey're listening and talking to the choir.
I feel depressed when I listen to PeterJennings and his ilk on broadcast T.V. I feel much better now since I've stopped reading Slate and Krugman.
Posted by: Genecis at December 1, 2003 11:23 AMHaven't you noticed there is no end to the number of people who will appear on those daytime "talk shows" (Maury, et al.)? The networks know where to go to find those that would say anything to get on TV (read, "those with no shame"). Plus, in a country of 275,000,000 there are 8,500,000+ that would fall into the 3% that don't feel good about themselves.
Posted by: Bartman at December 1, 2003 11:44 AM"All of which raises the question of who the media and the Democrats are talking to when they portray this as a time of inordinate angst."
You will understand the "mainstream" media much more easily, if you assume that the only people they ever talk to are the members of their own social circle who believe and think as they do.
They see their power and the power of their pet politicos declining and that upsets and depresses them. Therefor, they think that everyone in the whole wide world is either depressed or deluded.
Posted by: Robert Schwartz at December 1, 2003 1:25 PM"Two thirds of the respondents said they had not experienced a single day of melancholy in the last month."
Were they all on happy pills? Was the survey done at Disney World? Give me a break.
Posted by: Peter B at December 2, 2003 6:31 AM