The 2019 Stress in America™ survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of the American Psychological Association (APA) between Aug. 1 and Sept. 3, 2019, among 3,617 adults age 18+ who reside in the U.S. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. Data were weighted to reflect their proportions in the population based on the 2018 Current Population Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau. Weighting variables included age by gender, race/ethnicity, education, region, household income and time spent online. Hispanic adults were also weighted for acculturation, taking into account respondents’ household language as well as their ability to read and speak in English and Spanish. Country of origin (U.S./non-U.S.) was also included for Hispanic and Asian subgroups. Propensity score weighting also was used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. Because the sample is based on those who were invited and agreed to participate in research panels, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated. A propensity score allows us to adjust for attitudinal and behavioral differences between those who are online versus those who are not, those who join online panels versus those who do not, and those who responded to this survey versus those who did not. Weighting variables for Gen Z adults (ages 18 to 22) included education, age by gender, race/ethnicity, region, household income, size of household and employment status.
All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error, which are most often not possible to fully estimate and control, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, The Harris Poll avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for unweighted, random samples with 100 percent response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls — whether conducted by telephone or online — come close to the ideal probability sample given the sources of error previously noted. Because the sample is based on those who were invited and agreed to participate in an online research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.
Sample Size and Key Sample Definition
Sample Size
Throughout this report different segments of adults are discussed. Demographic sub-groups of adults include and are defined below:
2019 Survey
- Gender: Male (n=1,438); Female (n=2,164); Transgender (n=18)
- Race/Ethnicity: White (n=1,203); Hispanic (n=814); Black (n=809); Asian (n=511); Native American (n=207)
- Generation: Gen Z (18 to 22 years old) n=343; Millennials (23-40 years old) n=1,191; Xers (41-54 years old) n=745; Baby Boomers (55-73 years old) n=1,144; Matures (age 74 or older) n=194
- Poverty level: At or below 200% of the annual federal poverty guidelines (n=1,209); More than 200% of the annual poverty guidelines (n=2,246)
- LGBT Status: LGBT (n=355); Non-LGBT (n=3,175)
- Political Party Affiliation: Democrat (n=1,494); Republican (n=756); Independent (n=732)
- Insurance Status: Insured (n=3,192); Uninsured (n=344)
- Type of Insurance: Private (n=1,699); Public (n=1,427)
Race/Ethnicity Definition
Harris Poll’s methods for asking about and categorizing race and ethnicity are in accordance with the approach taken by the U.S. Census Bureau1 which treats race and ethnicity as two separate and distinct categories, examined in two separate questions. Per the Census’ framework, ethnicity is categorized as either ‘Hispanic or Latino’ or ‘not Hispanic or Latino.’ Race is comprised of five categories: White, Black/African-American, Asian, Native American/Alaskan Native, Hawaiian Native or other Pacific Islander. The Census further describes that the concept of race reflects self-identification by people according to the race or races with which they most closely identify and that people who report themselves as Hispanic can be of any race.
Using the framework described above and the questions below, if a respondent identified as Hispanic at dmHispUS, for the purposes of this research they were included in the Hispanic subgroup regardless of their response to the subsequent question which examined race. All other groups were identified based solely on their answer to dmRaceUS. Very few indicated they were of mixed race or some other race. Those who did are included in the total sample but have been excluded from the racial/ethnic analysis as there were too few to analyze separately (~1% of the total sample).
BASE: ALL QUALIFIED RESPONDENTS
Q1: Are you of Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin?
- 1 - Yes
- 2 - No
- 9 - Prefer not to answer
BASE: ALL QUALIFIED RESPONDENTS
Q2: What is you race?
- White
- Black or African American
- Native American or Alaskan native
- South Asian
- Chinese
- Korean
- Japanese
- Filipino
- Arab/West Asian
- Pacific Islander
- Other Asian
- Mixed Race
- Some other race
- Prefer not to answer
Poverty Level Definition
The proportion of respondents in poverty is calculated based on the Federal Poverty Guidelines: https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-researchopens in new window. The calculation takes into account annual household income, as well as the number of persons living in the household. For the purposes of this research, poverty was defined as being at or below 200 percent of the federal annual poverty guidelines. For example, a family of four is considered to be living in poverty if their annual household annual income is $49,200 or less.
LGBT Definition
Using the three questions below, LGBT was defined as those who indicated they were transgender or do not identify as Female, Male or Transgender (Q1); or who selected Male or Female at Q1 but did not select the same option at Q3; or who consider themselves to be Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer, Pansexual, Asexual or other sexual orientation (Q3). Non-LGBT was defined as those who identify as Male or Female exclusively (Q1) and sex assigned at birth (Q2) matches their choice in Q1 and selected Heterosexual (Q3).
BASE: ALL QUALIFIED RESPONDENTS
Q1: Are you…?
- Male
- Female
- Transgender
- Other
- Non-binary/gender queer/gender fluid
BASE: ALL QUALIFIED RESPONDENTS
Q2: What sex were you assigned at birth, on your original birth certificate?
- Male
- Female
BASE: ALL QUALIFIED RESPONDENTS
Q3: Of the following, which do you consider yourself to be?
- Heterosexual (Straight)
- Lesbian
- Gay
- Bisexual
- Queer
- Pansexual
- Asexual
- Other sexual orientation
- Not sure
- Decline to answer
Political Party Affiliation Definition
Using the question below, respondents were asked to select which political party for which they are currently registered.
BASE: ALL QUALIFIED RESPONDENTS
Q: What political party are you currently registered as?
- Democrat
- Republican
- Independent
- Other
- I am not registered
- Decline to answer
Insurance Status and Type of Insurance Definition
Using the question below, respondents were asked to specify how they receive health insurance. Those who selected that they do not have health insurance are referred to as uninsured. To assess type of insurance, those who selected option 1, 2, 3, or 6 are identified as privately insured while those who selected option 4, 5, or 7 are identified as publicly insured.
BASE: ALL QUALIFIED RESPONDENTS
Q: What is the primary way you receive health insurance today?
- Health insurance provided by current or former employer
- Health insurance provided by family member’s employer
- Individual insurance policy bought by myself/my family
- Medicare
- Medicaid
- Health insurance provided to students
- Veterans benefits (active military, veterans, TRICARE, reserve, etc.)
- Other
- None; do not have health insurance
- Health insurance from an exchange
- I have health insurance, but I don’t know what type of organization provides it and/or how it is obtained
1 https://www.census.gov/population/hispanic/about/faq.html