Gallup

Finding beauty in work may shape how people experience burnout. Adults who more frequently experience beauty in their work report feeling burned out less often. Among those who did not experience beauty in their work in the past month, 28% reported feeling burned out most or all of the time, compared with 14% of those who experienced beauty in their work every day. What makes work beautiful? In both the U.S. and U.K., relationships with others and a sense of accomplishment are the most commonly cited sources of beauty in work. These findings offer another perspective on how experiencing beauty in work relates to overall wellbeing. Explore more insights from Gallup’s research with The Catholic University of America, supported by the John Templeton Foundation: https://lnkd.in/gTgSFuTb 

How has Americans’ trust in their fellow citizens to make decisions under a democratic system changed over time? And how does their confidence in local government compare with state government? Explore the trends in this week’s Front Page.

Managers play a critical role in shaping employee engagement and organizational culture. But their ability to lead effectively depends, in part, on how organizations invest in their development. Developing effective managers requires more than providing training. Leaders must create opportunities for ongoing coaching, measure manager effectiveness and model the behaviors they expect managers to demonstrate. A strengths-based approach helps managers understand their own talents while developing the ability to recognize and coach the unique strengths of each employee. Explore five ways leaders can develop managers to improve employee engagement and organizational culture. https://lnkd.in/gaJFz5Qz

Choosing the right people to lead is one of the most important decisions an organization makes. Yet some of the best future leaders may be the people organizations least expect. The talents that make someone exceptional in their current role aren't necessarily the same talents that make someone an exceptional leader. E.J. Kuiper, president and CEO of FMOL Health, has seen this firsthand. Throughout his career, he's identified leadership potential in employees whose talents might not have been obvious from their current roles, creating opportunities for them to grow as leaders. In the latest episode of Leading With Strengths, Kuiper joins Gallup CEO Jon Clifton to discuss why recognizing people's unique talents is essential to developing the next generation of leaders. Watch the full conversation: https://lnkd.in/gteHE-3u

For the second consecutive year, only about four in 10 U.S. workers have quality jobs. In 2026, 41% of all U.S. workers meet the standard for a quality job, statistically unchanged from 40% in 2025. Quality jobs provide financial security, a safe and respectful workplace, opportunities to grow, a voice in decisions and meaningful control over how work gets done. The difference extends well beyond employees’ day-to-day experience at work. Employees in quality jobs are more than twice as likely to be highly satisfied with their jobs and about twice as likely to be highly satisfied with their lives. They also report better health, are more likely to remain with their employer and are estimated to miss 20% fewer workdays due to illness or injury than employees in non-quality jobs. Read more about the state of job quality in the U.S. in the American Job Quality Study from Gallup, Jobs for the Future (JFF) and The Families and Workers Fund. https://lnkd.in/gPXcSNPz

More U.S. workers are worried that technology could make their jobs obsolete. A record-high 27% now express concern, up from 20% last year and roughly double the 13% recorded when Gallup first asked the question in 2017. Concern is particularly high among younger workers: 34% of workers aged 18 to 44 worry about technological displacement, compared with 19% of those aged 45 and older. Read more about U.S. workers’ growing concerns about technology and job security: https://lnkd.in/eNc7mNzk

Organizations may know more about how their employees work than employees know about how their organizations collect and use their data. Just 19% of U.S. employees say someone at work has spoken with them about data or metrics collected about their work; at the same time, 59% believe their employer definitely or probably collects activity data, such as hours worked, badge swipes or the number of emails sent. How leaders communicate about that data is important. Employees who have been told about employee data use are more likely to trust leaders to use their workplace data responsibly, although greater awareness tends to bring greater concern. The goal is clarity about what is collected, why it is collected, who can access it and how the resulting analysis may influence decisions about employees’ work. Explore the full findings on how workplace data use shapes trust and engagement: https://lnkd.in/gFug56fT

The world is experiencing more negative emotions than it did two decades ago. But that’s only part of the story. Gallup’s latest global data show that worry, stress, physical pain, sadness and anger all remain above the levels measured in 2006. Since then, physical pain has risen 10 percentage points, worry and sadness eight points each, stress seven points and anger four points. Positive emotions have proved more resilient. Over the same period, feeling well-rested and smiling or laughing have remained essentially unchanged. Feeling treated with respect is slightly higher, while learning or doing something interesting has risen 10 points. Even as global emotional health remains strained, positive emotions can persist alongside considerable distress. Explore Gallup’s 2026 State of the World’s Emotional Health report: https://lnkd.in/gBhBCJvX 

Social media is part of daily life for most adults around the world. Across 97 countries, a median of 81% report using social media in the past seven days. Among users, nearly two-thirds spend less than two hours a day on these platforms, while 12% spend five hours or more. Younger users spend considerably more time online. A median of 52% of users aged 15 to 29 spend at least two hours a day on social media, compared with 33% of those aged 30 to 49 and 23% of those 50 and older. Explore how social media use varies across countries and age groups in Gallup’s 2026 State of the World’s Emotional Health report: https://lnkd.in/eizZRXZc

How does social media use vary around the world? And how much time are different age groups spending online?   Explore these trends from Gallup’s State of the World’s Emotional Health 2026 report in this week’s Front Page.