America This Week Wave 243

Stress in America, Dreaming of Storms, GenAI Is The Latest Rx, and Holiday Spending To The Max?

The latest trends in society and culture from The Harris Poll

Are you planning to vote early? You’re not alone. In our new Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll in The Hill, nearly half of voters (45%) reported voting early, compared to (50%) who said they’d wait for Election Day to cast their ballots. Our Chairman Mark Penn’s essay in WSJ also reveals that more Republicans may vote earlier than in 2020. Check out the full findings here.

This week, we have four new stories:

• In our new Stress in America report with the American Psychological Association, we examine how the nation’s political turmoil has overtaken our psyches.
• Also, climate change-induced mega-storms are giving many of us nightmares.
• GenAI won’t replace doctors: It will help them ‘be doctors’.
• Most cash-strapped parents say they will spend to get the holiday spirit.

Politics and Stress in America: American Psychological Association-Harris Poll

The newest edition of our Stress in America, with the American Psychological Association, reveals a populace in political turmoil.

• The future, the economy, and the presidential election are top stressors: Three-quarters (77%) of adults said the future of the nation is a significant source of stress in their lives, along with the economy (73%) and the presidential election (69%).
• Political divisions limit our ability to connect: Two in five (41%) said they have a hard time having a civil conversation about politics with people who have different values.
• However, people see differing values and opinions as beneficial to society: Eight in ten (84%) adults said differing values and opinions benefit society, and having conversations with people who don’t share the same values is important (82%).
• Despite concerns, there is optimism: More than six in ten (61%) adults report feeling hopeful about the change this election will bring and that it will lead to a more inclusive society (59%).

Takeaway: “For nearly a decade, people have faced a highly charged political climate, which has eroded civil discourse and strained our relationships with friends and families. But isolating ourselves from our communities is a recipe for adding more stress to our lives,” said APA CEO Arthur C. Evans Jr., PhD. “We must remember that the most extreme voices are often loud and that most adults share similar values and concerns.”

Dreaming of Twisters: Project Health Minds-Harris Poll

Last year, in a Harris Poll with TIME, climate change was creeping into younger Americans’ dreams. Our recent study with Project Healthy Minds impacts our mental health, as discussed in Newsweek.

• Nearly three in five Gen Z (58%) and Millennials (56%) say events such as wildfires, hurricanes, and other extreme weather have negatively impacted their mental health over the past year (v. Boomers: 47%).
• Furthermore, (20%) of Gen Z and (15%) of Millennials said these events had a significant negative impact on their mental health (v. Boomers: 9%).
• The survey found that Gen Z and Millennials were likelier than Boomers to say recent mass shootings have negatively impacted their mental health (65%, 63% v. 54%).
• Yet among those who needed mental health support and did not always seek it, (41%) said it was because it was too expensive and their health care provider didn’t take them seriously (20%).

Takeaway: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the frequency of extreme one-day precipitation events in the U.S. has risen sharply since the 1980s, with nine of the top 10 years for extreme precipitation recorded since 1995. “Many of today’s young people are more educated and aware of the links between extreme weather events and climate change,” says Kristin Wilson, licensed professional counselor, certified clinical trauma professional and chief experience officer at Newport Healthcare. “They understand the long-term consequences of these disasters, leading to ‘eco-anxiety’ or the fear that climate change will worsen and make the future uncertain or unlivable.”

Is GenAI the Rx to Physician Burnout? Google Cloud-Harris Poll

Physicians tell us that all the paperwork increases their feelings of burnout. So, in our new survey with Google Cloud in Forbes and Medical Marketing and Media, HCPs are increasingly turning to GenAI:

• Too much paperwork: Clinicians report spending 28+ hours a week on administrative and rote tasks, with more than (80%) saying this fuels their burnout symptoms.
• The doctor can’t see you now: Nearly (80%) of providers report that these tasks divert time away from essential patient care.
• AI may help this ailment: More than 90% of HCPs have a favorable view of GenAI and believe it can assist them.
• Not surprisingly, (85%) of patients said they would prefer if their HCPs spent more time talking to them than doing administrative tasks.

Takeaway: “It’s not about GenAI replacing doctors — it’s GenAI letting doctors be doctors. We have seen firsthand how the growing [burden] of paperwork and [administrative tasks] is impacting healthcare,” said Aashima Gupta, global director of healthcare strategy and solutions at Google Cloud, in a conference call. “Added stress and rising costs highlight the need for solutions that align HCPs to focus more on what matters most — caring for patients.”

Parents, Beware Of FOMO Holiday Spending: NerdWallet-Harris Poll

According to our latest research with NerdWallet, the holiday shopping season is upon us, and cash-strapped parents are under pressure to spend on their kids.

• Nearly half (48%) of parents with children under 18 feel pressure to spend more money on holiday gifts than they’re comfortable spending.
• These parents also say they’ll spend an average of $1,070 (vs. non-parents: $860).
• And (38%) of parents say they’ll go into more debt than usual to make these purchases.
• Even (13%) will need emergency savings; (12%) will prioritize gift buying over paying off some of their regular bills.

Takeaway: In another new survey we conducted with The Guardian, Americans still feel sour about the economy. When asked how they think about the U.S. economy now, compared with the start of the summer, (35%) of respondents said they were more pessimistic (v. optimistic: 29%; the same: 36%), while nearly three-quarters (73%) said they don’t feel any positive effects of good economic news today. Ironically, the holidays might provide a temporary escape, even if the bills come due in January.