How COVID-19 Stress Is Still Making Small Decisions Difficult For Americans

The COVID-19 pandemic has been putting enough of a strain on Americans that it is affecting even how they make basic decisions, a new survey found.

On Tuesday, the American Psychological Association (APA) published the results of its "Stressed in America" annual survey, compiled together with a new Harris Poll. The results showed that a significant share of American adults reported that stress related to the pandemic has impacted choices from what to wear for the day to what to eat for dinner.

"As each day can bring a new set of decisions about safety, security, growth, travel, work, and other life requirements, people in the United States seem to be increasingly wracked with uncertainty," said the APA survey.

While the results show that every group in the U.S. has experienced some form of pandemic-related stress, the results were more divided across different demographics.

Parents with young children were found to experience more stress than their childless counterparts. A full 47% of adults with children reported that stress impacted their daily decisions compared to 37% of non-parents. They were also more likely than other adults to say their mental health was less than excellent.

The number of adults who said stress from COVID-19 was impacting their decision-making in some ways increased from 2020 to 2021. Parents have to contend with decisions directly related to the pandemic that could affect their children like vaccinations, returning to work and sending their kids back to class after over a year of remote learning.

There were also differences across race that were documented in the survey. For example, 68% of Hispanic adults said they are faring well through the pandemic versus 81% of white adults and 72% of Black adults. Hispanic adults were found to be the most likely to report pandemic-related stress that impacts their daily choices than any other group.

Throughout the pandemic, it has been documented that Black and Hispanic Americans suffered disproportionately from the virus. Asian-Amercans, too, have been forced to contend with an upsurge in discrimination and hate crimes against them that have been linked to the virus’ origins in China.

The younger generations -- Gen-Z and millennials -- reported more stress than older Americans. Nearly one-third of adults (32%) said sometimes they are so stressed about the pandemic that they struggle to make basic decisions, but 48% of millennials and 37% of Gen-Z adults attested to this. Only 14% of baby boomers and 32% of Generation Xers said they strongly or somewhat agree.

If there was a silver lining in this new survey, it was that the plurality of Americans believed that the COVID-19 pandemic will come to an end and allow life to return to normal. It found that 70% of U.S. adults expect "everything will work out" after the pandemic ends and 77% said they are faring well despite it.