NPR Poll: Americans Angrier Now Than Past Generation

Americans are more angry now than a generation ago, particularly younger Americans, the latest IBM Watson Health-NPR Health Poll found.

The results vary, though, whether the respondents were talking about others or themselves, as 84% found other Americans are angrier now than before, while just 42% believe they themselves were more angry now.

The findings suggest some health issues to come for Americans.

"I think of anger as a health risk," vice president and chief health information officer at IBM Watson Health Dr. Anil Jain told NPR. "The fact that the survey showed that we have a generation of Americans who believe that they are more angry than they were a generation ago tells me that this is going to lead to some consequences from a health point of view."

The source of the anger can be up to debate, but the news is a factor, as 71% say the news at least sometimes make them angry. Also, 90% say they were more likely to express their anger via social media.

Among the poll results:

• 29% were often angry checking the news.
• 42% said the news sometimes made them angry.
• Only 21% of seniors were angry checking the news.
• 38% of people younger than 35 were angry checking the news.

The results depicted here represent responses from 3,004 survey participants interviewed from Nov. 1-14, 2018. The margin of error is plus or minus 1.8 percentage points. 

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