Nearly all Americans see a moderately happy life as normal, not a failure
Core finding
In a May 2026 Verasight survey, nearly all Americans (92%) regard a moderately happy life as ordinary rather than a shortfall, calling it normal and common.
Just 8% take the opposite view, that such a life is a failure and problematic.
Topline distribution
Nearly all Americans see a moderately happy life as normal, not a failure.
Living a moderately happy life is:
n = 1,000 · May 11, 2026 · MoE ±3.3%
Methodology
Full methodology →| Mode | Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting |
|---|---|
| Population | US adults age 18+ |
| Field dates | May 11, 2026 |
| Base (unweighted) | 1,000 |
| Margin of error | ±3.3% |
| Module | society |
| Sponsor | Verasight |
| Weight variable | weight |
| Weighting targets | age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status |
Sources
- reports.verasight.io/r/spsp26
Living a moderately happy life is:
Cite this question
Verasight SPSP Omnibus Survey #2026-045, fielded May 11-11, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.3%.