Americans' positivity about their standard of living continued to be buoyant in May, with a score of +52 on Gallup's Standard of Living Index. The index has been +50 or higher for the past six months, including the May reading, which tied the high in March.



From a long-term view, Americans' opinions of their standard of living have improved since the index reached a low of +14 in October and November 2008 in the midst of the global economic crisis. After gradual increases in the index in the following years, Americans' evaluations of their standard of living returned to early recession levels by 2013. Since then, aside from a gradual decline during the federal government shutdown in 2013, Americans have grown steadily more positive about their standard of living.

Gallup's Standard of Living Index is a composite of Americans' responses to two questions: one asking whether they are satisfied with their standard of living, and the other asking whether their standard of living is getting better or worse. The index has a theoretical maximum of 100 (if all respondents say they are satisfied with their standard of living and say it is getting better) and a theoretical minimum of -100 (if all respondents are dissatisfied with their standard of living and say it is getting worse).

In May, 81% of Americans said they were satisfied with their current standard of living, similar to the ratings Gallup has measured for more than a year. However, the latest reading ties the high point in satisfaction, previously reached in December 2014. Americans have been largely satisfied with their standard of living even at the depths of the recession, with the low point at 69% in 2008.

n the first quarter of 2015, 15.8% of Americans reported that in the last 12 months they had struggled to afford food for themselves or their families. This is the lowest percentage measured since the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index started in 2008.



The previous low was in the first quarter of 2008, when 16.4% of Americans reported lacking enough money to buy food for themselves or their families. The percentage peaked in the third quarter of 2013, when nearly one in five Americans said they struggled to afford food.

The decrease in the percentage of Americans agreeing that they have struggled to afford food comes as their financial optimism and perceptions of job creation in their workplaces are at record highs, and as unemployment, as measured by Gallup and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, generally has been declining. Fewer Americans struggling to afford food is a positive sign that the economic recovery could be benefitting some of the poorest Americans.

Across most key demographic groups, the percentage who reported struggling to afford food in the first quarter of 2015 is at least marginally lower than the same period last year, when 17.4% of Americans reported this. Blacks, Asians, younger Americans and lower-income Americans saw the most improvement in their ability to afford food.