Subtitle: Survey on American Personal Satisfaction

Excerpt: Survey on American Personal Satisfaction

Author: Jeff Hilles

Gallup conducted a longitudinal survey (details here) in early 2024 on a random sample of 1011 US adults ages 18+. The summary results were:

• Only 47% of those responding were “very” satisfied with their personal lives. This represented nearly a record low since 2002.
• 78% were “very or somewhat satisfied”, down 5 percentage points from last year.
• The highest satisfaction was among upper-income, married, and religious adults.

Further details on those with the highest satisfaction with their lives include total household incomes in excess of $100k (58%), married adults (57%), and “those who attend religious services regularly” (56% for weekly attenders).

Political affiliation showed marked differences as well with Democrats (52%) having the highest satisfaction, followed by Republicans (46%), and Independents (42%). Age demographics reflected a more positive attitude as people aged, from 41% between the ages of 18-34 to 51% over 55.

According to a Statista poll (here), currently, only 20% of Americans attend church every week while 57% either seldom or never attend.

Why Go to Church

Beyond the numbers above that suggest church attendance results in higher personal satisfaction, there are at least 8 additional reasons to become, or continue, as a regular church attender. These quick thoughts are summarized from the article “9 Benefits of Faithful Church Attendance” by Steve Bateman (original article).

Church Attendance…

• Pleases and glorifies God – 1 Cor. 10:31, Heb., 10:24-25
• Is an act of love toward your neighbor – One of the greatest commands of God (Luke 10:27).
• Can make you smarter – The Bible offers wisdom (Matt. 22:37, 2 Tim. 2:7
• Can make you healthier – Attendance reduces stress.
• Can make you more generous – 1 Tim. 6:18
• Can protect your marriage – A Biblical church teaches and strengthens marriage unity.
• Can limit the power of the state – Love through fellowship runs counter to tyranny.
• Can protect your family against delusional thinking – 1 Tim. 3:15, Rom. 1:28