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U.S. employees are experiencing heightened strain in their lives, with a larger proportion indicating they are contending with difficulties rather than flourishing, according to a recent Gallup survey.
On Tuesday, Gallup released updated findings for its Life Evaluation Index, a metric that has assessed how individuals perceive their present and anticipated future circumstances since 2008. The index prompts participants to appraise their current and prospective lives on a 10-point continuum, categorized as “flourishing,” “struggling,” or “suffering.”
Gallup’s examination of American workers, carried out in the final quarter of 2025, revealed a drop in the percentage of those flourishing, from 50% in the equivalent quarter a year prior to 46%. Conversely, the proportion of those encountering difficulties increased from 46% to 49% during the same timeframe.
“For the first time since Gallup began tracking the life assessment of the American workforce, a greater number of U.S. workers (49%) are experiencing difficulties in their lives than are flourishing (46%),” the polling and analytics organization observed. Additionally, 5% of participants were categorized as “suffering.”
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The percentage of workers categorized as struggling now surpasses those who are flourishing, Gallup discovered. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)
This alteration represents a divergence from the index’s findings in 2022 and 2023, years when the share of American laborers who reported “flourishing” hovered in the low-to-mid-50s, signaling resilience following the economic instability of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The previous decade witnessed a relatively high count of respondents classified as flourishing, with Gallup’s indicator maintaining a stable range between 57% and 60% from 2009 to 2019.
Respondents deemed flourishing momentarily decreased to 55% in 2020 before recovering in 2021; however, the figure has generally shown a consistent decline since then.
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American laborers were less optimistic about their personal prospects. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The proportion of respondents who were flourishing reached a recent zenith in the third quarter of 2022, standing at 55% compared to 41% of respondents who were encountering difficulties. That 14-percentage point difference in favor of flourishing represented the largest gap since 2022.
“The decrease in workers’ flourishing rate has been gradual but unwavering. No quarter since early 2024 has demonstrated sustained betterment – meaning consecutive quarters where the flourishing rate rose,” Gallup articulated.
Laborers who are encountering difficulties instead of flourishing also present complications for employers, who may contend with increased absenteeism or staff turnover from these employees.
“The implications for organizations and the economy are substantial, given that employee wellbeing directly influences an organization’s financial performance. Gallup research indicates that workers who are not flourishing are more prone to miss work due to illness and to be actively searching or monitoring for a new position,” the firm elaborated.
“Flourishing employees miss 53% fewer workdays due to health concerns and are 32% less likely to be actively seeking a new job. As flourishing declines, risks to organizational performance follow,” Gallup elucidated.
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The proportion of federal employees deemed flourishing declined more quickly than other cohorts. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc/Getty Images)
While the report indicated that all significant segments of the U.S. labor force experienced a deteriorating outlook on their lives since 2022, Gallup noted that government employees have observed a more pronounced and swift decrease in their perspectives.
In 2022, federal employees were more inclined than the average U.S. worker to be flourishing, with an average of 60%. This was six points above the national mean and four points higher than state and local government personnel.
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By late 2025, the flourishing rate for federal employees dropped 12 points to an average of 48%, significantly outpacing the decline for average U.S. workers, whose rate was down six points to 48%, as well as state and local government employees, whose combined flourishing rate decreased by six points to 50%.