Why Americans Won't Be Happier After the Presidential Election

Even though the November election is 391 days away as of this writing (11 October 2023), Americans should embrace that their disposition will remain the same, irrespective of who is elected. The reasons for this differ from those that affect an election, e.g., the economy, healthcare, or education. Instead, it is due to the general feeling that society has gone awry. The polls, albeit very early, show a dead heat between incumbent President Biden and (assumed candidate) former President Trump, and there is dim enthusiasm for either.

Malaise

Societal Ills Persist

Americans are rarely presented with encouraging news. The issues that deluge us in 2023 range from the sorry state of educational achievement and soaring property taxes and insurance rates to the wars in Ukraine and Israel and spiraling crime. These are more than anecdotal sentiments; they are real ongoing problems dramatically impacting society’s sense of well-being.

• Happiness has been declining for the last 20+ years. According to an article in The Atlantic, the percentage of Americans saying they are “very happy” has dropped from 34% in 2000 to 19% in 2022. During the same period, the percentage of those saying they were “not very happy” rose from 10% to 24% (1 in 4 Americans).
  

• 34 million Americans are Food Insecure, according to Feeding America, of which 9 million are children.
  

• Charitable donations declined 10% from 2021 to 2022 (AXIOS), and less than 50% of Americans donated to charity in 2022, down from 66% in 2003 (AXIOS).
  

Politicians may promise to solve our problems, and with focused and prioritized legislation, they can improve circumstances. However, legislation development and implementation take time, and individual society members need to feel a sense of urgency to act.

Actions We Can Take

I believe in the collective capacities and capabilities of the 334 million people who call America home. Regardless of whether Biden or Trump wins the Presidency, they can only do so much to address our general malaise and other problems.

So what can you do?

Let's start with some hard truths. As noted, the number of Americans donating has been declining, as have total charitable donations. Why? According to LiveNOW from FOX, "A new poll (July 2023) of Americans found that nearly half of those who stopped giving to charity over the past five years said they did so because they thought wealthier people could afford to give more - and should. Others said they could not afford to give." I can't entirely agree with the first assumption and challenge the second.

Donating to a charity, no matter what amount you give (even $1), helps. Remember that there is always someone poorer and worse off than you. Forgo that trip to Starbucks or Dunkin one day a week and donate the money instead to a charity you feel the most keen about. Whether another group is giving their fair share is not the point. We all must help one another, whether money or our time.

Can you not afford to give? Americans have grown used to an ever-improving standard of living, and our materialism has grown. Here is some sobering data. Since 1980, the average size of the American family has declined slightly, yet median home square footage has grown 40%. Furthermore, adjusting for inflation, we spend 76% more on Christmas gifts (24/7 Wall Street) and 119% more on weddings and buy 4x as many clothes per capita today as we did in 1980 (The Wall Street Journal). In short, we're spending more to fill our larger homes with more stuff while giving less money to charity. If we step back and honestly assess our spending, I'm confident we can find a few extra monthly dollars to help others.

Reciprocity in Giving

When we support charities, we start tackling some of society’s challenges, such as hunger, and we also personally benefit. According to NSPCC UK, Giving (of money or time) has a cumulative impact on a charity’s ability to assist more clients. When you give to the charity of your choice, such as an animal shelter, environmental preservation, education, etc., you feel more deeply connected to that organization and realize your impact. Giving also makes us feel wealthier. And it brings us closer to the society we want to live in. That is, a society that acknowledges while things can change with elections, the real change comes from the collective efforts of all of us — the 334 million. Helping others, we help ourselves and address our lack of happiness and society’s problems.

It’s really that simple.

---

Michael Benedict published his first book, The Civil Society Playbook: A Commonsense Plan for a Return to Civility, in 2024. His career spans 25+ years in senior-level marketing positions at Fortune 1000 companies, tech startups, and marketing consultancies. His book covers areas of incivility that are not frequently discussed in the media. It offers solutions - actions - that anyone, regardless of age, can implement to improve civility in all aspects of society. He can be reached at michaelbbenedict@gmail.com. The book is available on Amazon, Apple Books, and Audible.