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A study conducted by the University of South Florida found in 2024 that the political climate in America is impacting our social well-being and mental health.
In the runup to the 2024 election well underway, politics is front of mind for many Americans, according to coverage by CBS12. A majority of Americans surveyed say major issues, such as inflation, immigration, border security, and foreign policy are their core concerns. But when all of these factors, plus the lack of unity over America’s political landscape, come together, it causes at least a minor amount of stress. For some, that stress is a lot more.
CBS12 News asked a handful of Floridians a simple question: “Is politics a source of stress in your life?” And the answers may surprise you. (TAKE A POLL: Are You Concerned About the National Debt and Its Implications For Future Generations?)
How Do People Feel About Politics?
“Yeah, a little bit just in the fact these are the two choices that we got,” Brad Hughes told the outlet. “There should be better choices in America.”
“My family is very divided and so we can’t talk about it at all and that puts a real stress on my relationships with my family and my friends,” Barbara Arnold said. (TAKE A POLL: Do You Support the Idea of a Four-Day Workweek to Enhance Work-Life Balance?)
A third of people surveyed in the study said they’d gotten into arguments and/or lost their temper with friends and family over politics. Associate Professor Stephen Neely told the outlet that society needs people with different political views to have common ground in order to function correctly. But the results say this isn’t happening.
“We are really encouraging people to the extent we can, it’s okay to do a digital detox,” Neely recommended. “It’s okay to stay off social media for a while. It’s okay to not worry about trying to convince other people that your position is right. It doesn’t matter those conversations almost never lead to anything fruitful, but they can lead to some very destructive things for your health.”
How Do You Feel?
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