This page will display the metrics and scoring system for demoralization.
a) Crime & Disorder (12 pts, composite = murder + violent + property)
• ≤5 → 12 pts
• 6–250 → 9 pts
• 251–500 → 6 pts
• 501–750 → 3 pts
• 751+ → 0 pts
Result: Murder 68/million + Violent 364/100k + Property 191.7/10k = 623.7 → 3 pts (501–750)
b) Family Stability – Divorce (ever-married adults) (8 pts)
• ≤10% → 8 pts
• 11–20% → 6 pts
• 21–30% → 4 pts
• 31–40% → 2 pts
• 41%+ → 0 pts
Result: ≈43% of ever-married adults divorced → 0 pts (41%+)
b) Family Stability – Births Outside Marriage (8 pts)
• ≤10% → 8 pts
• 11–25% → 6 pts
• 26–40% → 4 pts
• 41–55% → 2 pts
• 56%+ → 0 pts
Result: ≈40% births outside marriage → 4 pts (26–40%)
c) Civic Engagement – Voter Turnout (5 pts)
• ≥70% → 5 pts
• 55–69% → 3 pts
• 40–54% → 2 pts
• 25–39% → 1 pt
• <25% → 0 pts
Result: 2024 turnout ≈ 65.3% → 3 pts (55–69%)
Subtotal = 10 / 33
a) Mental Health – Depression prevalence (10 pts)
• ≤5% → 10 pts
• 6–10% → 7 pts
• 11–15% → 4 pts
• 16–20% → 2 pts
• 20%+ → 0 pts
Result: U.S. adults ≈ 8.5% depressed → 7 pts (6–10%)
b) Hope vs. Despair – Optimism (5 pts)
• ≥80% → 5 pts
• 65–79% → 4 pts
• 50–64% → 3 pts
• 35–49% → 2 pts
• <35% → 0 pts
Result: ≈36% optimistic → 2 pts (35–49%)
c) Loneliness / Isolation (% with <2 close friends) (5 pts)
• <5% → 5 pts
• 6–10% → 4 pts
• 11–20% → 3 pts
• 21–30% → 2 pts
• 30%+ → 0 pts
Result: ≈11–20% report <2 close friends → 3 pts (11–20%)
Subtotal = 12 / 20
a) Labor Participation (9 pts)
• ≥70% → 9 pts
• 65–69% → 7 pts
• 60–64% → 5 pts
• 55–59% → 2 pts
• <55% → 0 pts
Result: Employment-pop. ratio ≈ 59.6% → 2 pts (55–59%)
b) Welfare Dependency (6 pts, adults receiving any welfare past year)
• ≤2% → 6 pts
• 3–5% → 4 pts
• 6–8% → 3 pts
• 9–12% → 1 pt
• 12%+ → 0 pts
Result: ≈20% of adults received welfare in the last year → 0 pts (12%+)
c) Educational Attainment – Dropouts (5 pts)
• <5% → 5 pts
• 6–10% → 3 pts
• 11–15% → 2 pts
• 16–20% → 1 pt
• 20%+ → 0 pts
Result: Status dropout ≈ 5.3% → 3 pts (6–10%)
Subtotal = 5 / 20
a) Life Expectancy (4 pts)
• ≥82 → 4 pts
• 78–81 → 3 pts
• 74–77 → 2 pts
• 70–73 → 1 pt
• <70 → 0 pts
Result: ≈78.4 years → 3 pts (78–81)
b) Obesity (5 pts)
• ≤10% → 5 pts
• 11–20% → 4 pts
• 21–30% → 3 pts
• 31–40% → 2 pts
• 40%+ → 0 pts
Result: ≈40.3% obese → 0 pts (40%+)
c) Chronic Illness (4 pts)
• ≤5% → 4 pts
• 6–10% → 3 pts
• 11–15% → 2 pts
• 16–20% → 1 pt
• 20%+ → 0 pts
Result: Diabetes ≈ 15.8% → 1 pt (16–20%)
d) Physical Activity (3 pts, ≥150 min/wk)
• ≥70% → 3 pts
• 55–69% → 2 pts
• 40–54% → 1 pt
• <40% → 0 pts
Result: ≈47% active → 1 pt (40–54%)
e) Drug & Alcohol Deaths (4 pts)
• ≤5/100k → 4 pts
• 6–15 → 3 pts
• 16–25 → 2 pts
• 26–35 → 1 pt
• 35+ → 0 pts
Result: ≈44/100k combined → 0 pts (35+)
Subtotal = 5 / 20
a) Media Tone (5 pts)
• ≤20% negative → 5 pts
• 21–35% → 4 pts
• 36–50% → 3 pts
• 51–65% → 2 pts
• 65%+ → 0 pts
Result: News perceived as mostly negative → 2 pts (51–65%)
b) Trust in Institutions (6 pts)
• ≥80% → 6 pts
• 65–79% → 4 pts
• 50–64% → 3 pts
• 35–49% → 1 pt
• <35% → 0 pts
Result: ≈28% trust overall → 0 pts (<35%)
c) Community Decay – Vacancy (4 pts)
• ≤2% → 4 pts
• 3–5% → 3 pts
• 6–8% → 2 pts
• 9–12% → 1 pt
• 12%+ → 0 pts
Result: ≈7.0% vacancy → 2 pts (6–8%)
Subtotal = 4 / 15
Raw Total = 36 / 108
Normalized Score ≈ 33 / 100
The overall score of 33/100 places the United States in the “fragile / demoralized” zone. This suggests that while there are areas of resilience, systemic weaknesses across culture, health, economics, and trust weigh heavily.
The U.S. fares poorly here, largely due to family instability. Roughly 43% of ever-married adults have divorced, placing the nation in the worst category for marital permanence. Births outside of marriage hover around 40%, also a weak outcome. Civic engagement is middling, with about 65% turnout in the 2024 election — decent but not at the levels of high-trust societies.
Crime paints a mixed picture: homicide rates are moderate by global standards, but violent and property crime rates push the composite index high enough to leave the U.S. with only 3/12 points. Together, these trends reveal a society struggling to reinforce stable norms and order.
This is one of the relatively stronger categories. Depression prevalence (8.5%) is elevated but not catastrophic, earning 7/10 points. The real challenge is public optimism: only 36% believe the economy will improve, reflecting widespread pessimism and uncertainty about the future. Social isolation adds further drag, with over 1 in 10 adults lacking close friendships, contributing to loneliness and disconnection.
Overall, the U.S. retains moderate emotional resilience, but low optimism is a warning sign.
This is a particularly weak area. Labor force participation remains below 60%, at the bottom of advanced nations. Welfare dependency is striking: about 1 in 5 adults used some form of welfare in the past year, which places the country in the lowest scoring bracket. Educational attainment is somewhat stronger, with high school dropout rates just above 5%, but not low enough for full credit.
The picture is of a nation with significant economic participation gaps, heavy reliance on government support, and modest educational outcomes.
This category underscores a deep health crisis. Life expectancy has recovered to 78.4 years, but still lags other developed countries. Obesity (40%) puts the U.S. in the lowest bracket, reflecting diet, lifestyle, and systemic health issues. Chronic illness is widespread, with diabetes near 16%.
Physical activity is modest — fewer than half of adults meet basic exercise guidelines — and the nation suffers 44 drug- and alcohol-related deaths per 100k, an epidemic scale that erases any points here. This dimension highlights profound threats to long-term vitality.
Trust and symbolic cohesion are badly eroded. Surveys show Americans overwhelmingly view the media as negative, and Gallup data places institutional trust at 28%, in the lowest bracket. Housing vacancy (~7%) earns a few points, but overall this section illustrates a severe breakdown of shared belief in institutions and narratives.
The 33/100 score suggests the U.S. is more demoralized than remoralized. Stability and vitality are weakened by family breakdown, poor health, substance crises, and distrust of institutions.
Yet there are points of resilience: Americans still turn out to vote at meaningful rates, dropout rates are comparatively low, and depression — while elevated — has not reached catastrophic prevalence. These show the cultural “muscle fibers” are not entirely severed, but they are strained.