Change can be stressful under any circumstances, but a change in who controls the government can be particularly fraught—especially in a place as politically divided as the U.S.
Groups including the Crisis Text Line, where people can text in with issues and connect with trained volunteers, are shoring up their services as the election nears. That’s based on what they saw on election night in 2016, when 30% of texts had to do with election anxiety, and in 2020, when 40% of texts did.
“We are preparing for what we anticipate will be a surge,” says Dr. Shairi Turner, chief health officer of Crisis Text Line. “Everyone is aware of what an unprecedented time this is, having seen really big shifts in policies at the national and state level, and that creates stress.”
At the national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, officials have been preparing since September for a surge in calls, based on surges around Election Day during the previous two elections. “We know calls will spike the day before and the day of the election, and people are reaching out because of anxiety, depression, and fear about the future,” says Tia Dole, chief 988 suicide and crisis lifeline officer. Dole says counselors there are ready to respond to increases in call volumes. “Our hope is that by planning so far in advance, we won’t see longer wait times.”
Why the election is causing so much stress
A recent survey conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) confirms the growing anxiety people are feeling as Election Day approaches. About 69% of people polled said the presidential election was a significant source of stress in their lives. “People are very concerned about the future of the nation,” says Arthur Evans, CEO of the APA. “And that is consistent across political affiliation—whether Republican, Democrat, or Independent.”
While election-related stress levels are about the same as they were in 2020, according to the APA, there are some unique features of this year’s political anxiety. About 72% of people expressed concern about the results of the election, fearing that the outcome could lead to violence, with more than half believing the results could mean “the end of democracy in the U.S.” Those concerns are deep enough that about 40% said they are considering moving to another country or another state because of the current political climate.
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“Americans are seeing the election as much more consequential than they have in the past and are putting more weight on the outcome of the election, so the consequences of what happens if their side wins or loses are much greater,” says Evans. “People are internalizing the messaging that every election is now an existential threat to our way of life and the country as we know it.”
Call it a national case of doomscrolling. “There is a sense that if the other side wins, my lifestyle, freedoms, and whatever people believe are important to them are going to change quite drastically,” Evans says, given the threats to reproductive rights and those of LGBTQIA+ groups, people of color, and immigrants.
Based on data from previous election cycles, Turner says those worries typically take the form of conflicts with friends and family who hold different political viewpoints, anxiety, disappointment in political leaders, and despair over the future. “We’re seeing people who are overwhelmed about the news and the state of the world,” she says.
How crisis centers are responding to election stress
Crisis Text Line has created a dedicated key word—”election,” or “elecciones” in Spanish—that users can text to flag that they are specifically anxious or stressed about the election. That alerts the counselors who staff the lines that the texter’s concerns revolve around the election. Counselors are provided tip sheets to help guide callers to helpful resources, whether that’s a local mental-health professional or unbiased information that can allay their fears about specific uncertainties about the election. “Everybody is aware of what an unprecedented time this is,” says Turner. “Our training is an ongoing, iterative process, so as we see trends emerging, we can update and revise our tip sheets.”
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The counselors are trained in active listening, which helps those in crisis know they are being heard and taken seriously, and counselors try to work with people to find previously successful coping strategies and past experiences that texters can draw upon to alleviate some of their election-related anxiety. Leading up to Election Day, Crisis Text Line will be adding more supervisors: trained mental-health professionals who oversee the counselors.
This type of support is critical for those who may feel they have nowhere to turn if their political views differ from those of their friends and loved ones, says Evans. In the APA survey, a third of people said politics has led to strained relationships with those closest to them, with a third saying they actually spend less time with family because of conflicting political ideologies.
It’s also important to ensure that the counselors responding to the requests are supported, says Dole, since they are likely experiencing the same election-related stresses. “Sometimes they want to commiserate and say ‘I’m terrified too,’ but they have to stay neutral and help support callers,” says Dole. “So we give them language to help support them and we have been working on self-care, and talked to them about limiting social media exposure. Some people find solace in action, and some find solace in focusing on themselves, and both pathways are valid.” Because 988’s primary function is to de-escalate anxiety and stress and to connect people with helpful local resources, much of what counselors can do is to listen to and acknowledge feelings or uncertainty or worry.
For example, counselors can help people find comfort in routines, which can reduce their anxiety, and ensure that they have a social network or a community of people who share similar views. Writing out a plan for addressing stress can help people to follow through. “Stress can snowball,” says Dole. “988 is all about being preventative.”
How to manage election anxiety
There are ways to cope with election-related stress, says Evans, and the tension doesn’t have to lead to negative consequences. Despite reporting anxiety over the election, about 77% of people said they were planning to vote, and half said they felt more motivated to volunteer or support causes they believe in—an increase from 45% of people who reported feeling that way in the previous election. “From psychological research, one of the ways we know to reduce anxiety or stress around a situation is to feel more control and get engaged, and do work to change the situation,” says Evans. “So it’s a good sign that people still feel motivated enough to engage in political activity.”
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Encouragingly, more than 80% of people said that they felt it was important to listen to and understand people with different perspectives, even if they didn’t agree with them. “The way to have those conversations is not to try to convince the other person to adopt your world view,” says Evans, “but to explain why I support my person, and to hear why the other person supports their person. That’s one way for people who disagree to still have a civil conversation, and perhaps not raise anxiety.”
The survey also revealed that despite feeling stressed, people are also still optimistic about the change that the election might bring. About two thirds said they felt the election would result in a more inclusive society—and that was even true of people belonging to Latino and LGBTQIA+ groups who remain stressed over their personal safety.
“People’s motivation to be involved, and still believing in the process of voting, and still wanting to hear the other side, are all good signs that things aren’t as bad as one might think based on some of the other election-related stress trends,” says Evans.
