Nearly 1 in 5 young adults in the United States report feeling anxious every day. This proportion reflects a substantial share of the 18-25 age group, indicating that daily anxiety has become a common experience for many individuals entering the workforce or higher education.
Rising Rates of Daily Anxiety
The share rose from 15% in 2020 to just under 20% in 2024, marking a noticeable increase over the four-year span. Observers note that the climb from the mid-teens to nearly one-fifth of respondents suggests a shift in mental-health patterns that warrants attention from clinicians, educators, and community leaders alike.
During the same period, the odds of receiving an anxiety diagnosis grew by roughly 31%, while the chance of being prescribed anxiety medication rose about 32%. Those changes translate into more individuals seeking professional evaluation and pharmacologic support, placing additional demand on health-care providers and insurance systems.
Researchers link the upward trend to lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, which introduced sustained stressors for this age group. They point to disruptions in schooling, employment uncertainty, and prolonged social isolation as factors that may have amplified worry and nervousness on a day-to-day basis.
“The increase in anxiety in the 2024 cohort compared with the 2020 cohort requires public health attention on the potential long-term pandemic effects on young adult mental health,” the study team said, led by Melissa Villodas, an assistant professor of social work at George Mason University.
The analysis used responses from nearly 11,000 participants aged 18-25 who took part in a federal health interview survey.