Staff Reports
Last month’s release of the 2025 World Happiness Report delivered a sobering message for the United States: America has slipped to 24th place, its lowest ranking since the survey began. While the media and left-leaning pundits are quick to blame economic challenges or global instability, a closer look at the data and cultural trends reveals a deeper crisis—one rooted in the erosion of traditional values and the rise of a culture that discourages personal responsibility, faith, and family.
The decline in happiness is especially pronounced among liberal women, who, according to recent surveys, are reporting record levels of loneliness, depression, and dissatisfaction with life. A staggering 56% of young liberal white women have been diagnosed with a mental health condition, and only 12% say they are “completely satisfied” with their lives. In contrast, conservative women, who are far more likely to be married and attend church regularly, are three times as likely to report being very satisfied with life. The data is clear: abandoning the pillars of marriage, faith, and community leaves people feeling isolated and hopeless, despite the constant promises of fulfillment from progressive ideologies.
What’s driving this divide? The answer lies in the rejection of the very institutions that have historically provided Americans with meaning, stability, and resilience. Liberal culture, especially among young women, increasingly treats marriage and childbearing as oppressive, and faith as irrelevant. Instead, it promotes a worldview steeped in victimhood, competition, and perpetual grievance, amplified by social media and a news cycle obsessed with crisis and catastrophe. This constant barrage of negativity, coupled with the breakdown of family bonds, leaves many feeling powerless and alone—a far cry from the community-centered, optimistic spirit that once defined the American experience.
Meanwhile, countries that emphasize strong family ties and larger households, like Mexico and Costa Rica, have surged in the happiness rankings. The lesson is unmistakable: when people are connected to family and community, they thrive. In America, however, the rise in single-person households and the growing trend of eating alone are tangible symptoms of a society drifting away from its roots. The more we distance ourselves from the values of faith, family, and personal accountability, the less happy we become.
If America wants to reclaim its place as a beacon of happiness and hope, it must look to what works, not just here, but around the world. That means restoring the foundational values of faith, family, and community that have always been the bedrock of a flourishing society. Rather than doubling down on divisive ideologies and policies that foster isolation and resentment, we should encourage a return to the principles that have made America strong: personal responsibility, meaningful relationships, and a commitment to something greater than oneself. Only then can we begin to mend our social fabric and offer a future worthy of the American dream.
