Current political situation stressing Americans: Survey

Washington, Feb 16: More than half of Americans - 57 per cent - have that the current political situation is a "very" or "somewhat" significant source of stress in their lives, according to a new survey.

The new survey issued by the American Psychological Association (APA) on Wednesday is part of a larger poll about stress conducted by the organisation since 2006, NBC News reported.

But 2016 was the first year that APA asked about the impact of politics, an addition prompted when psychologists who are part of the organisation reported a spike in patient anxiety about the 2016 election.

This January, the APA followed up with additional questions, yielding the data released Wednesday.

Asked specifically about the outcome of the 2016 election, Americans were predictably divided along partisan lines.

Seventy-two percent of Democrats -- but just 26 per cent of Republicans - said that Trump's win was a cause of significant stress.

But concern about the future of America ran across party lines. Majorities of both Republicans (59 per cent) and Democrats (76 per cent) said they were significantly worried about the nation in the long run.

Anxiety about politics may have contributed to an overall increase in Americans' stress levels in just the past few months, too.

Between August 2016 and January 2017, Americans' overall average reported stress level rose from 4.8 to 5.1 on a 10-point scale, the survey found.