In fact, one in three respondents to this year's survey said their wellbeing is lower than it has ever been before and-although more than 67% of people ranked their wellbeing as a top priority-only 12% said they thought theirs was where it should be. This 'Wellbeing Dilemma' is the result of a troubling paradox: the prioritization of wellbeing is not resulting in an improvement in wellbeing. While the Global Wellbeing Index score has remained stagnant at 66, there is hope and an opportunity to learn from those with higher wellbeing.
Insights such as these help us to have a real conversation around the state of wellbeing so that we can better understand how to support people and communities in their efforts to be well,' said
Why this is happening
While many pandemic era challenges are behind us, there has not been a post-pandemic morale boost, with 41% reporting they feel hopeless when they think about the state of the world. In fact, multiple barriers to wellbeing feel harder to overcome and social pressures make wellbeing feel harder to achieve: 30% don't have the time to think about their wellbeing.
51% are deprioritizing their wellbeing due to cost concerns.
39% feel the pressure to conform to societal norms negatively impacts their mental wellbeing.
How it manifests
The report uncovered that everyone is struggling, one way or another, with certain groups feeling the impact of low wellbeing more acutely, creating a ripple effect of impact to both the individual and society: 58% cannot be the best version of themselves when their wellbeing is low.
On average people missed five days of work and seven days of school in the past 12 months due to low wellbeing.
Mental health taboo is a significantly higher barrier for Gen Z compared to older generations with 60% of Gen Z wishing they could express how they actually feel, instead of always pretending to be fine (vs. 55% Gen X, 41% Boomer+).
48% of individuals identifying as men feel society has made it more difficult for men to speak up about their mental health than women.
69% of those with disabilities feel they cannot live their life to the fullest when their wellbeing is low (vs. 51% without disabilities).
A path to progress
However, there are signs of progress, as people take control of their wellbeing with small but powerful steps and call on institutions to help enact change: 77% of people say they have a significant responsibility in taking wellbeing into their own hands.
74% of people feel that institutions are not doing enough to help with societal wellbeing, and more than half of respondents prefer to support brands and businesses that work hard to improve societal wellbeing.
While climate anxiety is high (41% say it heightens their anxiety), it is also a unifier with 43% agreeing global unity on climate change makes them hopeful for the future.
The report uncovers steps everyone can take to improve their wellbeing, learning from those with higher wellbeing: Work out / exercise with other people when possible. Half of those with high wellbeing are working out with other people more now than pre-pandemic (vs. only a quarter of those with low wellbeing).
Prioritize spending time with your loved ones. 41% of those with high wellbeing are prioritizing spending time with loved ones more now than pre-pandemic (vs. only 29% of those with low wellbeing).
Work to express all your emotions, not just the positive. More than half of those with high wellbeing are actively trying to make sure they can express their full range of emotions, not just ones linked to happiness (vs. only 4 in 10 of those with low wellbeing).
'Far too many people, one in three, feel their wellbeing is lower than ever before,' said
As part of its Impact Agenda,
This World Mental Health Day,
About the Global Wellbeing Report
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