A new survey finds one in three Americans are in an existential crisis in 2026, driven by financial stress and a widespread sense of lost control. Here's what the data shows.
  • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
    25·
    2 days ago

    I get it.

    I’m making more money now than I ever have before, and five years ago it would have mattered, but it doesn’t now. Either the places I’d want to go to spend it no longer exist, or the price to get there or consume or experience has increased to such an extent that it feels pointless. So I plug it into an investment instead. Basic living expenses are increasingly becoming unaffordable for the vast majority. I am very lucky I bought a place three years ago, not knowing it would get this bad.

    I don’t even want that much. Just being able to go to lunch and to a movie on the weekend would do wonders for my mental health, but even that is becoming prohibitively expensive and rare to be able to do, since there are fewer movie theaters now.

    And then there’s the precarious job market, where the vast majority in the US can’t get hired for a living wage. If I were to lose my job I would honestly consider self-deletion, because it’s pretty clear that giving 2000 people enough wealth to create their own mini-societies and disconnect from the rest of the world means that most of us get to struggle permanently.

    • Dyskolos@lemmy.zip
      3·
      15 hours ago

      Maybe that is the problem? Deleting yourself if you’d loose your job? Ever thought of just leaving this piece of shit country? I would not live there if I’d be paid to do so. Going somewhere where loosing your job is a mild inconvenience, getting sick costs you two-digit (if not privately insured) and and and and…

      It’s not like you had to learn a new language as English would get you very far already.

      • HubertManne@piefed.socialEnglish
        2·
        12 hours ago

        Yeah I mean with all the other countries being super welcoming to immigrants especially americans and ready to help them get work and find a place and stabilize with certainty they will have rights. I mean moving to a new country is not an easy thing but I get it. If you desperate enough to pull the emergency escape exit then maybe see if you can get enough together for a plane flight and see what happens. can always pull the triple e overseas.

        • Dyskolos@lemmy.zip
          2·
          4 hours ago

          Really depends on where you emigrate to and some other factors.

          But, imagining living in the US, with that constant dread of [everything], or having a lot of troubles and stress of emigrating to a better future and away from all this? I would not think overly long.

          I mean, I retired in my early 20s, no kids and no pets no family (except wifey), drown in money and comfort, but I would consider me too poor to emigrate to the USA. And even if I’d be rich enough to actually enjoy the USA, there would still be tons of stuff I couldn’t stand or fear. I can’t even begin to imagine how life must be juggling 3 jobs just to no starve. And always be one accident or sickness away from obliteration, financially.

          • HubertManne@piefed.socialEnglish
            1·
            4 hours ago

            you also have the issue of the us being a danger to the world. face it here or face it elsewhere. I was just talking to a friend how if I was rich im not sure if I would be happy because of where the country and world are going.

            • Dyskolos@lemmy.zip
              1·
              4 hours ago

              Can’t argue with that. And no, how could any sane and open-minded person - wealth being irrelevant - not he sad? The world goes down the drain just because of greed and the inherent benefit of the worst that humanity has to offer in traits (dark triad/tetrad). At least in capitalism.

              • HubertManne@piefed.socialEnglish
                1·
                4 hours ago

                yeah and I don’t even mean like crazy wealthy but like hit the lottery and now don’t have to worry about bills or retiring and such. its like well sure nice for me but the society and world is still effed.

  • solrize@lemmy.ml
    691·
    2 days ago

    This site seems to be slightly polished AI slop and they don’t say what they think an existential crisis even is. Meh.

    • megopie@lemmy.blahaj.zoneEnglish
      33·
      2 days ago

      Lmao, from low down on the page

      StudyFinds Analysis articles are created using an exclusive AI-based model with complete human oversight by the StudyFinds Editorial Team.

      So yah, ai generated slop articles, not even edited or optimized for SEO with, just straight up writing the articles.

  • krisevol@lemmus.orgEnglish
    6·
    2 days ago

    I think Americans are finally coming to terms with the national debt and that we owe more than we make in gdp.

    • baines@piefed.socialEnglish
      4·
      2 days ago

      lol that’s just now

      my crisis has been at least since 2016

      some people are just oblivious as fuck

      • HubertManne@piefed.socialEnglish
        2·
        12 hours ago

        mid aughts for me. Imean not so much but that was when we decided not to have kids and it was not because the future looked overly rosey.