A massive 72% of Americans say that they will reach their “breaking point” with stay-at-home orders by mid-June if they continue.
The study found that another one fourth of Americans have already reached that point.
Pollsters at Kelton Global asked 1,895 U.S. citizens about stay-at-home orders between April 3 and April 6. They found that 100% of respondents said they would snap if stay-at-home orders last for longer than six months.
“The survey was conducted between April 3rd and 6th, and at that time, 16% said they had already hit their breaking point, with that number rising to 25% within the next two weeks. That would indicate that one in four Americans have likely reached wits’ end by now,” Study Finds reports.
The researchers found that when broken down by gender, 20% of surveyed women had already reached their breaking point by the time of the survey, while just 12% of men said the same.
“Our findings highlight the increasingly serious implications of stay-at-home orders, and puts some urgency on the actions of politicians and organizations who try to manage the COVID-19 fallout,” comments Kelton Global’s Chief Insights Officer Dr. Martin Eichholz in a statement.
Younger Americans are also having a much harder time with the shut downs than their older peers. They found that 59% of surveyed Generation Zers said they expect to reach their breaking point after four weeks, and 80% said they can only handle another two months of lockdown. More than a third (35%) of young adults ages 18-24 admit they’re already at their wits’ end, versus 22% of those over 45.
The issues that are making things most uncomfortable for respondents were loneliness, constant arguments with one’s spouse or family, extreme worry over mundane activities like visiting the grocery store, and constant anxiety.