NCL's Dealing with Stress Survey: Executive Summary

NCL Survey - Executive Summary

Problems and Stress in Life

Eight in ten American adults (80%) say they have problems and stress in their lives. While most people in all demographic subgroups concede this, there are some notable differences:

Women are more likely to claim they have problems and stress than men (84% vs. 76%).

Only 70% of adults 65 and older say they have problems and stress, compared with 82% of younger adults.

Acceptability of Stress Level

More than half of people who have problems and stress in their lives (57%) say their stress level is higher than they would like it to be; 26% say it is a lot higher, while 31% say it is somewhat higher. About four in ten (42%) believe their current stress level is acceptable.

Women are more likely than men to rate their stress level higher than they would like (62% vs. 51%).

Adults younger than 45 are most likely to say their stress level is higher than they prefer (64%), compared with 54% of 45-64 year olds and only 36% of adults 65 and older.

Main Cause of Problems or Stress

Work is the top source of stress for adults who have problems and stress in their lives (39%), followed by family (30%). Other sources include health (10%), concern about the economy (9%) and concern about international conflict and terrorism (4%).

Work is a bigger source of stress to men (48%) than women (32%). Family is a more important source of stress among women than men (37% vs. 21%).

Work is the top source of stress among adults 18-54 (46%), while the top culprit among adults 55 and older is family (37%). Among seniors, health is the second-most common worry (25%).

Adults in metropolitan areas are more stressed by work (42%) than those in non-metro environments (29%).

Among adults in households earning $50,000 a year or more, work is by far the main source of problems or stress (55%). Among lower-income households (less than $35,000 annually), family is the top source (36%), with work second (27%).

Mirroring income, adults with a college degree are most stressed by work (50%), while adults with a high school degree are about equally stressed by family matters (35%) and work (31%).

Sources of Stress

Respondents who have problems or stress in life were asked if they agreed or disagreed with six statements about issues which can cause or aggravate stress.

Three in four (74%) agree they are worried about their own health and the health of their family; 33% strongly agree.

Surprisingly, adults younger than 55 are more likely to agree than those 55 and older (77% vs. 67%).

Adults in lower income households (Under $25,000 a year) agree much more strongly than those in households earning more (46% vs. 28%).

Seven in ten (70%) say they are concerned about their family finances, including 36% who strongly agree with this statement.

Agreement drops from 74% among adults younger than 55, to 59% among those 55 and older.

While 79% of adults in households earning less than $50,000 a year agree, so do 64% of those living in households earning $50,000 or more annually.

Two in three (68%) agree they are concerned about the safety of themselves or their family, with 35% strongly agreeing.

Agreement is strongest among 18-34 year olds (44%) and weakest among adults 55 and older (25%).

Adults in the Northeast have the highest agreement percentage (74%).

Adults with less than a college education agree more than those with a college degree or more (74% vs. 58%).

About six in ten (58%) say they don’t get enough sleep, including 33% who strongly agree.

Agreement drops from 68% among 18-44 year olds, to 52% among 45-64 year olds, to only 36% among adults 65 and older.

Adults with children under 18 in their household are more likely to agree than those without children (69% vs. 51%).

About four in ten (41%) claim they are really burned out and overloaded with work, with 16% strongly agreeing.

Agreement decreases with age, from 55% among 18-34 year olds, to 44% among 35-54 years olds and only 18% of adults 55 and older.

Adults with children under 18 in the household are more likely to agree (47%) than those without kids (37%).

One in four adults who have problems or stress in life (25%), agree they are overextended and involved with too many organizations or activities; 8% strongly agree.

Adults younger than 55 are more likely to agree (27%) than those 55 and older (17%).

Dealing with Stress

The most common way Americans deal with stress in their lives is by going for a walk or taking a break (63%). Following are getting regular exercise (50%), escaping for a while (49%), trying to get more sleep (44%), taking a warm shower/using a heating pad/hot or cold compress (35%) and trying to lighten their workload or outside activities (34%). Other strategies to deal with stress include using stress management, relaxation or yoga (22%), having a shoulder and neck massage (21%) taking a prescription medicine (12%), taking an herbal remedy or dietary supplement (12%) or taking an over-the-counter medicine (7%).

Men and women are about as likely to use each strategy to deal with stress, although women are more likely than men to take a warm shower/use a heating pad/use a hot or cold compress and have a shoulder and neck massage.

As they are most likely to claim they don’t get enough sleep, 18-44 year olds are also most likely to say they are trying to get more sleep (50%).

More than one in five adults 18-64 say they get shoulder and neck massages to help deal with stress, compared with only 9% of seniors.

Adults 45 and older are more likely to take prescription medicine to help deal with stress than younger adults (17% vs. 8%).

Adults in the West are most likely to say they exercise regularly to deal with stress (62%), and they are also most likely to say they use stress management, relaxation or yoga (30%).

Adults in the most affluent households ($50,000 or more a year) are more likely to say they exercise regularly to deal with stress than adults in households earning less (63% vs. 45%).

Stress Slowing You Down

Six in ten Americans who have problems or stress in their lives (59%) say that stress has slowed them down when they are doing various things, including social activities (39%), dealing with family or relatives (37%), work (33%) or community activities (26%). Four in ten (41%) say stress hasn’t slowed them down with any of these activities.

Only 39% of seniors say stress has slowed them down with any of these activities, compared to 67% of adults 18-44 and 58% of those 45-64.

Adults younger than 55 are most likely to say stress slowed them down when they were doing social activities, dealing with family and relatives and community activities.

Stress slowing down their work most applies to adults younger than 45.

Changes in Stress Over Time

Nearly two in three adults who have problems or stress in their lives (63%) agree that their lives are more stressful now than five years ago; 43% strongly agree.

A large majority of adults younger than 35 agree (82%), which drops to 61% among 35-54 year olds and 44% among adults 55 and older. Among adults 18-34, 63% strongly agree they are more stressed now than five years ago

Nearly half (44%) agree that they are more likely to get a stress or tension headache now compared with five years ago; 25% strongly agree.

Agreement is highest among 18-34 year olds (64%) and drops as age increases – 43% among 35-54 year olds and 23% among adults 55 and older.

Adults in the South agree at a higher rate than those in the rest of the country (49% vs. 41%).

Six in ten (60%) agree that life has become more stressful over the past year, including 35% who strongly agree.

Once again, adults 18-34 are most likely to agree (75%), although the decline among older adults isn’t as steep – 62% among 35-44 year olds and 49% among adults 45 and older.

Adults in households earning less than $50,000 annually are more likely to agree (63%) than those living in more affluent households (54%). Mirroring this, agreement is also higher among less-educated adults.

About three in ten adults who have problems or stress in their lives (31%) agree that they have had more stress and tension headaches in the past year; 17% strongly agree.

Nearly half of 18-34 year olds agree (47%), compared with 29% of adults 35-54 and 15% of those 55 and older.

Adults in households earning less than $50,000 annually are more likely to agree (37%) than those living in more affluent households (23%). Agreement is also higher among less-educated adults.

Tension or Stress Headaches

Six in ten Americans who have problems or stress in their lives (61%) say they have experienced headaches as a result of stress or tension.

Women are more likely than men to have experienced these types of headaches (67% vs. 53%).

Only about one in three seniors have (36%), compared with 59% of adults 45-64 and 69% of those 18-44.

Adults in the South are most likely to say they have suffered from stress or tension headaches (67%).

Of those who have suffered stress or tension headaches, most (63%) say they have at least one a month; the average is 2.5 stress or tension headaches a month among those who have them.

Frequency is highest among women, 18-34 year olds, adults in less-affluent households and among less-educated adults.

Two in three adults who have suffered stress or tension headaches (67%) agree that they usually experience muscle stiffness in their necks and/or shoulders with these headaches; 39% strongly agree.

Women are more likely than men to agree these headaches also result in muscle stiffness in their necks and/or shoulders (73% vs. 58%).

Adults 25-64 are most likely to agree (73%), including 43% who strongly agree.

About four in ten adults who suffer from stress or tension headaches (42%) say these headaches interfere with their daily lives; only 14% strongly agree.

Almost half of 18-54 year olds agree (46%), compared with 28% of older adults.

Those who suffer from stress or tension headaches try a number of things to deal with them. The most common are taking a break or rest (63%), taking an over-the-counter medicine (48%) and taking a warm shower or using a heating pad or hot/cold compress (39%). Other methods used to alleviate the discomfort include lightening their workloads or outside activities (31%), trying to find out what causes the headache (29%), having a massage or applying pressure points (28%), using stress management or relaxation techniques (28%), taking a prescription medicine (15%) or taking an herbal remedy or dietary supplement (10%).

Women are more likely than average to take over the counter medicine to treat these headaches, as well as taking a warm shower or using a heating pad or hot/cold compress.

Methodology

These results are based upon a telephone survey conducted by Opinion Research Corporation among a national probability sample of 1,074 adults 18 and older living in private households in the continental United States . A total of 853 of these respondents said they had problems or stress in their lives. The margin of error for both the total sample and the sample of adults with problems or stress is plus or minus three percentage points.