Beginning in 2008, Gallup and Healthyways surveyed more than 100,000 Americans revealing that 49% of Americans are “thriving,” 47% are “struggling,” and nearly 4% are “suffering.”

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The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index asked Americans to evaluate their lives by imagining a “ladder” with steps numbered from 0 to 10, where “0″ represents the worst possible life and “10″ represents the best possible life. Nationally, 49% of Americans say that they presently stand on steps 7 or higher of the ladder. When asked where they will stand about five years from now, Americans report that they expect to stand on steps 8 or higher. Gallup considered this group of Americans to be “thriving.” Thriving Americans’ have their basic needs (such as food and shelter) met, and they have higher incomes, are less burdened by disease, report fewer sick days, and have better work environments. While nearly half of Americans fall into this category, the percentage of citizens in the thriving group is down from 60% in 2006.

On the low end of the spectrum, 4% of U.S. residents say they presently stand on steps 0 to 4 of the ladder. When asked where they will stand five years from now, Americans in this group report that they expect to stand on steps 0 to 4 of the ladder, as well. Gallup considers this group of Americans to be “suffering.” Suffering Americans report that they have less access to basic needs such as food, shelter, and healthcare. They are also more likely to be burdened by disease, report more sick days, and are more likely to be divorced or widowed.

Americans that Gallup does not classify as thriving or suffering are considered to be “struggling.” The percentage of U.S. residents who are struggling has increased to 47% from 37% in 2006.

As a point of comparison to more than 130 countries around the world, the percentage of citizens thriving ranges from 2% in Cambodia to 83% in Denmark. While the percentage of citizens suffering ranges from less than 1% in Denmark to 47% in Zimbabwe.

In addition, The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index also asked respondents about their emotions and experiences over the past 24 hours, and finds that Americans’ reported experiences were much more positive than negative.

Among the other findings:

• 49% of Americans report a lot of enjoyment and happiness but not worry or stress on a typical day of this year.
• 10% of Americans report a lot of worry or stress but not enjoyment and happiness on a typical day this year.
• 4.9 Americans report positive days for every person who reports a negative day on a typical day this year.
• The ratio of people reporting positive days to those reporting negative days averages 7.2 on weekends and 4.1 on weekdays.
• For the 10 most positive days of 2008 so far, the ratio of people reporting positive days to those reporting negative days was 8.9.
• For the 10 most stressful or worrisome days of 2008 so far, the ratio of people reporting positive days to those reporting negative days was 3.4.
• Of the 10 days when Americans reported the most happiness and enjoyment, 9 were either a Saturday or a Sunday and one was a Tuesday (New Year’s Day).
• Americans’ reported level of happiness and enjoyment peaked on Easter Sunday, March 23, with New Year’s Day coming in a close second. Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 3, was also among the top 10 days that Americans reported the highest levels of happiness and enjoyment.
• Reported levels of worry and stress peaked on Feb. 27 and April 2. Among the top 10 days with highest levels of reported negative experiences, many were days that coincided with bad news from the financial markets. For instance, on Jan. 28, when the Commerce Department reported a drop in new home sales, 13% of respondents reported a lot of stress or worry without enjoyment or happiness during their day. About the same percentage of respondents reported a lot of stress or worry in March following the collapse of Bear Stearns and the subsequent intervention by the Fed. On April 2, when Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke made comments about a possible U.S. recession, 14% of Americans surveyed reported a lot of stress or worry.

Which group do you fall into? Were you among the 67% who ate healthy yesterday? Because to today is Sunday, I hope you’re happy and enjoying life because,

After all, it’s about a healthy lifestyle!

© Iowa Avenue