This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of APA from January 21-25, 2021 among 2,076 U.S. adults ages 18 and older. Results are weighted for age within gender, region, race/ethnicity, household income, education, marital status, and size of household where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting is also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.
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.
Post Inauguration Stress Survey Sample Sizes
Throughout the release different segments of adults are discussed. Demographic sub-groups of adults included are defined below:
- Race/Ethnicity: White (n=1,524); Hispanic (n=168); Black (n=197)
- Political Party Affiliation: Democrat (n=835); Republican (n=586); Independent (n=537)
Previous Surveys Referenced in Release
The 2020 Stress in America™ survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of the American Psychological Association between Aug. 4 and Aug. 26, 2020, among 3,409 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 March 2019 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 also were 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.) also was included for Hispanic and Asian subgroups. Weighting variables for Gen Z adults (ages 18–23) included education, age by gender, race/ethnicity, region, household income and size of household. Propensity score weighting was used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. A propensity score allows researchers 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. The survey also included a sample of 1,026 teens age 13–17 who reside in the U.S. Weighting variables included age by gender, race/ethnicity, parents’ highest level of education, region and size of household. 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.