Overview

• A continuous cross-sectional study of nearly 100,000 voluntary assessments shows average anxiety symptom severity and implicit self-as-anxious associations remained largely unchanged from 2011 through 2022, including during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
• Young adults aged 18–25 consistently reported and demonstrated stronger anxiety levels than older adults, but their elevated baseline did not increase over the pandemic period.
• Participants completed explicit self-report measures of anxiety and reaction-time tasks measuring implicit associations on the Project Implicit Health platform, capturing both conscious symptoms and automatic anxious self-concepts.
• The findings challenge earlier reports and WHO estimates of a widespread pandemic-driven surge in anxiety, suggesting greater psychological resilience among U.S. adults than commonly portrayed.
• Researchers warn that self-selection and a younger, more educated sample limit the study’s reach and stress the need for population-representative, longitudinal tracking of mental health trends.