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Americans' mental health dips, save those joining weekly church service
Latest Gallup study on Americans' self-assessment of their mental health indicates a decline in almost all of the demographic groups studied, except for one group --those attending weekly religious services.
Citing Gallup data, an article written by Megan Brenan, published on December 7, 2020 show that Americans' latest assessment of their mental health is worse than it has been at any point in the last two decades.
The November 5 - 19 study by Gallup – an American analytics and advisory company based in Washington, D.C. – shows that 76% of US adults rate their mental health positively, but the figure still represents a nine-point decline from 2019.
Also, the survey shows significant self-reported mental health declines among those previously in excellent health.
An article in the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines website, citing the same survey, pointed out that those attending weekly services are the only demographic group studied registering an improvement in their mental health, despite the lockdowns and the COVID-19 pandemic stress.
Gallup data show that in 2019, about 42% of those who reported attending religious services weekly said their mental health was excellent. In 2020, 46% said the same, an increase of 4 percentage points.
Only 35% of those who attend services nearly weekly or monthly reported excellent mental health, down 12 percentage points from last year. Among those who attend seldom or never, 29% reported excellent mental health, down 13 percentage points.
While coronavirus restrictions have often limited peoples’ ability to attend religious services, the Gallup survey did not ask respondents whether they faced such limits, the CBCP article noted.
Overall, respondents reporting excellent health declined from 43% to 34%, while those who reported excellent or good health declined from 85% to 76%. About 18% reported fair mental health while 5% reported poor mental health.
Gallup has been conducting the same November Health and Healthcare Survey every year since 2001. The latest Gallup survey was conducted Nov. 5-19. Its random sample of 1,018 US adults age 18 and older claims a margin of error of plus or minus 4% for the total sample. —LBG, GMA News
