Only 10% of people called it a “great” year. Everyone else? They’re ready to move on. If you’re struggling to remember anything about 2025 that felt genuinely great, you’re in good company. A nationwide survey shared by StudyFinds found that only about one in ten Americans described their year as great. Everyone else landed somewhere between “okay, I guess” and “please don’t make me relive it.”
Numbers from a Talker Research survey of 2,000 Americans paint a sobering picture. About 39% labeled 2025 as “just okay.” Another 19% called it “bad.” And 10% went further, describing it as “awful.” Add those up, and you’re looking at a country where most people spent twelve months just trying to get through.
News headlines told a different story. Reports talked about economic recovery and life returning to normal. But most people didn’t feel that way at all. Instead, they felt like they were scraping by. Barely. And when your lived experience doesn’t match what you’re being told, that gap becomes its own source of frustration.
Calling 2025 “great” turned out to be a luxury opinion. For most Americans, it didn’t feel like a win or a loss. It felt like another stretch of time survived.
Money Worries Topped Everyone’s List
Financial stress played a starring role in how people judged their year. Rising costs, lingering debt, and paychecks that seem to stretch less each month shaped how respondents felt about their lives. Even people who said they were financially stable reported stress around housing, healthcare, and long-term security.
Panic wasn’t quite the right word for what people described. Fatigue fits better. A grinding, low-grade worry that never quite goes away. You pay the bills, you stay afloat, but you never feel like you’re getting ahead. And after years of that feeling, exhaustion sets in.
Survey results showed that financial wellness ranked among the top priorities for 2026. About 45% of respondents said putting more money into savings was a goal for the new year. Improving overall financial wellness came in at 34%. People recognized that their bank accounts and their sense of security were tied together, and they wanted to do something about it.
But wanting to save money and being able to save money are two different things. Younger generations named lack of money as their biggest barrier to meeting any goals at all. When you’re worried about rent or student loans, resolutions about outdoor time or mental wellness can feel like luxuries you can’t afford.
Burnout Made It Hard to Feel Hopeful
Mental health showed up again and again in how people rated their year. Many respondents shared feelings of exhaustion and being stuck in repetitive routines. Work frustrations came up often. So did a general sense of unease that was hard to shake.
People weren’t falling apart. But they also weren’t finding much to feel excited about. Days blurred together. Weeks passed without anything memorable happening. And when you ask someone how their year was, that emptiness registers as disappointment.
Americans rated their average mental health at 7 out of 10. Men scored a bit higher at 8 out of 10. Despite a rough year, half of all respondents said they believe 2026 will be when they finally reach a better place mentally. Optimism still exists, even after a year that tested it.
Mental health challenges ranked as a major barrier to achieving goals, with 28% of respondents naming it as an obstacle. Lack of time came in at 22%. Between work, family, and just keeping your head above water, carving out space for self-improvement feels impossible for a lot of people.
What Set “Great Year” People Apart
Here’s what’s interesting about the 10% who called 2025 great. They didn’t necessarily have wildly different circumstances from everyone else. They weren’t all wealthy. They weren’t all lucky. What set them apart had more to do with how they experienced their lives than what was happening in them.
People in that group were more likely to report strong personal relationships. They mentioned manageable expectations. They talked about feeling in control of their time. Their optimism seemed tied less to external wins and more to stability and connection.
Money helps, of course. But the data suggested that relationships and a sense of agency mattered just as much, if not more. When you feel connected to people you care about and you have some say over how your days unfold, a tough year can still feel good. Without those things, even a year with no major problems can feel empty.
Younger Adults Felt It Harder
Age made a difference in how people experienced 2025. Younger adults were more likely to report frustration and disappointment. Career uncertainty weighed on them. So did financial instability. When you’re trying to build a life, and the ground keeps shifting under you, staying positive gets harder.
Gen Z, millennials, and Gen X all identified not having enough money as their biggest barrier to achieving resolutions. Baby boomers gave a different answer. They pointed to a lack of willpower as their primary obstacle instead.
That generational split says a lot. Younger Americans face economic headwinds that make even basic goal-setting feel out of reach. Boomers, presumably more financially stable, see their obstacles as internal rather than external. Neither group is wrong. They’re just facing different realities.
Older respondents gave slightly more forgiving assessments of their year, even when dealing with similar pressures. Perspective helps. When you’ve lived through enough hard years, you develop a different relationship with disappointment. But perspective doesn’t erase stress. It just changes how you carry it.
How Different Generations Handle Setbacks
When resolutions fall short, generational differences become even clearer. Gen Z tends to criticize themselves or feel guilty when they don’t meet goals. About 36% of Gen Z respondents described that pattern in themselves.
Older generations responded differently. About 42% of millennials, 48% of Gen X, and 55% of baby boomers said they accept failure as part of the process and keep moving forward. Self-compassion appears to grow with age. Older Americans have likely experienced enough failed resolutions to know that stumbling doesn’t mean giving up entirely.
Millennials were most likely to create New Year’s resolutions at 57%. Baby boomers were the least likely at 23%. Men showed more enthusiasm than women, both in setting goals (44% vs. 35%) and feeling motivated to complete them (93% vs. 85%).
Dr. Nikole Benders-Hadi, chief medical officer at Talkspace, which commissioned the research, offered some advice on handling setbacks. Setting meaningful personal goals supports mental well-being and growth. But going easy on yourself when you don’t achieve them right away matters just as much. Growth happens in trying to achieve goals, even when the outcome doesn’t look or feel like what you expected.
Americans Are Setting Goals Anyway
Despite a disappointing year, 38% of Americans are setting personal goals for 2026. On average, people created six resolutions each. After a year that left so many feeling let down, that’s a lot of ambition.
Putting more money into savings and getting more exercise tied as the most common resolutions at 45% each. Improving overall physical health came in at 41%. Eating healthier landed at 40%. Spending more time outdoors and boosting mental health both hit 29%.
Financial security and physical fitness leading the charge makes sense. People see their bank accounts and their bodies as two sides of the same coin when it comes to quality of life. Financial stress and physical health are connected. Progress in one area often supports progress in the other.
Everyone Copes Differently
When it comes to staying mentally well, different generations rely on different habits. Gen Z leans on time with family and sleep, both at 36%. Millennials prefer listening to music and podcasts at 43%. Gen X at 42% and baby boomers at 46% both favor regular walks.
About 54% of respondents said they’re open about their mental health with loved ones. Millennials were most transparent at 63%. Men came in at 59%.
Some respondents shared creative approaches to boosting their mood. Treasure hunting. Lifting weights to rock music. Skateboarding. One person mentioned dancing like nobody’s watching. Another finds peace listening to Tyler, the Creator interviews. One respondent admitted that sometimes you just have to make yourself cry. Another shared that encouraging others takes their mind off their own issues and often brings returned encouragement.
Effort Might Matter More Than Results
After a year most Americans would rather forget, hope for 2026 remains. Whether those six resolutions per person actually stick is unknown. But the effort itself may matter more than perfect execution.
People are tired. They’re doing what they’re supposed to do. Showing up to work. Paying bills. Trying to stay healthy. And wondering why all that effort doesn’t translate into feeling good about their lives.
But they’re still trying. Still setting goals. Still looking ahead with at least some optimism. And in a year when most people just survived, choosing to try again might be the most hopeful sign of all.
