Gallup Report Finds More Workers in U.S., Canada, East Asia Experienced Stress Than Other Regions’ Workers

Gallup Report Finds More Workers in U.S., Canada, East Asia Experienced Stress Than Other Regions’ Workers

About one in two respondents in these two regions reported experiencing stress “a lot of the day yesterday.”

A lot of people are affected by stress on a daily basis. But a new report shows that a higher percentage of American, Canadian and East Asian workers experienced this feeling when compared to other surveyed regions.

The “State of the Global Workplace 2023 Report” from Gallup, compiled from responses from 122,416 employed people aged 15 and older in over 160 countries, takes a dive into topics like employee stress, anger, engagement and feelings on the job market.

When it comes to employee stress, two regions, the U.S. and Canada and East Asia, tied for the highest percentage of workers who experienced stress “a lot of the day yesterday.” Fifty-two percent of respondents in both regions reported stress. The region with the third-highest ranking was Australia and New Zealand, with 47 percent of respondents saying they were stressed.

However, not as many American and Canadian workers reported feeling angry “a lot of the day yesterday.” Less than one in five workers (18 percent) said they were angry. Compared to other regions, the U.S. and Canada ranked fifth and East Asia ranked seventh (at 17 percent) while South Asia placed first with 36 percent of employees reporting anger.

More than half of employees in the U.S. and Canada (52 percent, up one percent from last year) are quietly quitting, meaning they “put in the minimum effort required, and they are psychologically disconnected from their employer.” That’s lower than the percentage of people globally engaged (59 percent, down one percent from last year) in quiet quitting.

Gallup CEO Jon Clifton delivered two pieces of advice in the report: “Focus on your most winnable employees” and “Give them a better manager.”

“By switching to proven, science-based management, organizations could change the course of the economy—and world history. It’s that important,” he noted in the report.

The poll was conducted from April 2022 to March 2023 either in-person or via telephone. Some data from China was collected in a different time frame and manner.

About the Author

Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.

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