Emotional wellbeing includes how people feel about their lives, relationships, future and ability to cope. Recent official measures show a mixed picture: many adults report supportive relationships and hope, while anxiety, depression and major sources of stress remain widespread.
Contents
- UK wellbeing outcomes
- Hope, relationships and connection
- US anxiety symptoms
- US depression symptoms
- Depression prevalence and impact
- Stress and emotional resilience
UK wellbeing outcomes
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) measures personal wellbeing through life satisfaction, whether life feels worthwhile, happiness and anxiety. In the latest quarterly results, covering October–December 2025, 4.9% of UK adults reported low life satisfaction. A further 3.9% reported low feelings that the things they do are worthwhile, while 8.1% reported low happiness. High anxiety was reported by 23.6% of adults during the same period. ONS, Beyond GDP insights, UK measures of National Well-being
These measures describe different experiences rather than one single wellbeing score. Someone may be satisfied with life while still experiencing anxiety, and a person can feel that daily activities are worthwhile while having low happiness.
The ONS also reported that 24.6% of people in the UK showed some evidence of depression or anxiety between January 2023 and December 2024. That compares with 21.8% in 2021–2022 and 19.7% in 2018–2019. These are survey measures for the stated periods, not a diagnosis for every person represented. ONS, Beyond GDP insights, UK measures of National Well-being
Other recent indicators show areas of relative strength. In March 2026, 70.4% of UK adults were fairly or very satisfied with their health. In April 2026, 64.4% felt hopeful about their future, although 18.2% felt very or somewhat unfairly treated by society. ONS, Beyond GDP insights, UK measures of National Well-being
Hope, relationships and connection
Social connection is an important part of emotional wellbeing, and the UK figures show that positive and difficult experiences can exist together. In September 2025, 85.8% of UK adults were satisfied with their social relationships. In April 2026, 87.4% said they had people they could rely on, while 6.1% reported feeling lonely often or always. Between January 2023 and December 2024, 5.0% were fairly or extremely unhappy with their relationships. ONS, Beyond GDP insights, UK measures of National Well-being
The following measures provide a compact view of several social and everyday wellbeing indicators. They cover different dates, so they should not be treated as one simultaneous survey result.
| UK indicator | Share of adults | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|
| Satisfied with social relationships | 85.8% | September 2025 |
| Have people they can rely on | 87.4% | April 2026 |
| Feel lonely often or always | 6.1% | April 2026 |
| Trust most other people | 67.7% | March 2026 |
| Satisfied with main job | 73.6% | March 2026 |
| Satisfied with how they spend their time | 59.3% | December 2025–January 2026 |
| Reported volunteering | 33.1% | April 2026 |
| Visited green and natural spaces | 60.9% | December 2025 |
Community perceptions were less uniformly positive. In April 2026, 60.5% agreed or strongly agreed that people from different backgrounds get along well locally. In March 2026, 67.7% reported trusting most other people. The same ONS measures found that 73.6% were fairly or very satisfied with their main job, while 59.3% were fairly or very satisfied with how they spend their time between December 2025 and January 2026. ONS, Beyond GDP insights, UK measures of National Well-being
Participation and time outdoors were also measured. In April 2026, 33.1% of UK adults reported volunteering. In December 2025, 60.9% reported visits to green and natural spaces. These figures indicate participation and activity, but they do not establish that volunteering or outdoor visits caused a particular emotional outcome.
US anxiety symptoms
The US National Center for Health Statistics reported that 18.2% of US adults had any anxiety symptoms in the past two weeks in 2022. This included 11.4% with mild symptoms, 3.9% with moderate symptoms and 2.8% with severe symptoms. The measure is symptom-based and refers to the two weeks before the survey, rather than lifetime anxiety or a clinical diagnosis. CDC/NCHS, Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Among Adults: United States, 2019 and 2022
Anxiety symptoms varied across groups in 2022:
- 26.6% of adults aged 18–29 had any anxiety symptoms, compared with 11.2% of adults aged 65 and older.
- 21.4% of women and 14.8% of men had any anxiety symptoms.
- 12.3% of non-Hispanic Asian adults had any anxiety symptoms.
- 28.4% of adults below 100% of the federal poverty level had symptoms, compared with 13.4% of adults at 400% or more of that level.
- 20.5% of adults in nonmetropolitan areas had symptoms, compared with 16.6% in large central metropolitan areas.
The same CDC/NCHS report found that the share of US adults with any anxiety symptoms increased from 15.6% in 2019 to 18.2% in 2022. This is a comparison across those survey years and should not be read as a forecast of future prevalence. CDC/NCHS, Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Among Adults: United States, 2019 and 2022
US depression symptoms
In 2022, 21.4% of US adults had any depression symptoms in the past two weeks. The breakdown was 13.9% mild, 4.6% moderate and 2.9% severe symptoms. As with the anxiety figures, this is a recent-symptom measure and is not identical to a diagnosis of depressive disorder. CDC/NCHS, Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Among Adults: United States, 2019 and 2022
Depression symptoms were reported by 26.9% of adults aged 18–29 and 18.6% of adults aged 65 and older. They affected 24.5% of women and 18.0% of men. Among non-Hispanic Asian adults, 13.0% had any depression symptoms.
Income and geography were also associated with different reported levels. In 2022, 32.4% of US adults below 100% of the federal poverty level had any depression symptoms, compared with 15.4% of adults at 400% or more of the federal poverty level. In nonmetropolitan areas, 24.3% had symptoms. The overall adult share rose from 18.5% in 2019 to 21.4% in 2022. CDC/NCHS, Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression Among Adults: United States, 2019 and 2022
Depression prevalence and impact
A separate CDC/NCHS data brief measured depression prevalence during August 2021–August 2023 among US people aged 12 and older. It estimated prevalence at 13.1% overall, including 19.2% among adolescents aged 12–19 and 8.7% among adults aged 60 and older. Among people aged 12 and older, prevalence was 16.0% for females and 10.1% for males. CDC/NCHS, Depression Prevalence in Adolescents and Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023
The adolescent figures also differed by sex: prevalence was 26.5% among adolescent females aged 12–19 and 12.2% among adolescent males. Among people aged 12 and older with family income below the poverty level, prevalence was 22.1%.
The data brief reported an increase in prevalence from 8.2% in 2013–2014 to 13.1% in August 2021–August 2023. Among people with depression in the later period, 87.9% reported at least some difficulty with work, home or social activities. Yet only 39.3% reported receiving counseling or therapy in the previous 12 months. These figures describe the population and periods specified by the data brief; they do not explain why treatment was or was not received. CDC/NCHS, Depression Prevalence in Adolescents and Adults: United States, August 2021–August 2023
Stress and emotional resilience
The American Psychological Association’s Stress in America 2024 survey asked US adults about significant sources of stress between August 1 and 23, 2024. The future of the nation was identified by 77% as a significant source of stress, followed by the economy at 73%. The 2024 presidential election was a significant source for 69%, US politics for 62%, health care for 55%, and violence and crime for 54%. APA, Stress in America 2024: A nation in political turmoil
The same survey showed that stress and hope were present together. Sixty-one percent of adults said they felt hopeful about the change the election would bring, while 72% worried that the election results could lead to violence. These results are survey responses from the stated August 2024 field period, not a general measure of all emotional wellbeing or a prediction of political events. APA, Stress in America 2024: A nation in political turmoil
Taken together, the statistics point to several dimensions of emotional wellbeing: personal satisfaction, anxiety and depression symptoms, supportive relationships, loneliness, hope, stress and practical impact. Because the sources use different populations, questions and measurement periods, each percentage is best understood in its original context.