What Elmo — and his human friends — learned by asking Americans about their mental health

Remember when Elmo went viral in January by asking folks on the Internet how they were doing and briefly became the unofficial therapist of X? Christina Vittas, Elmo’s social media manager, was bowled over by the unexpected outpouring and told The Times she was thankful that the Muppet’s simple question “opened up conversations about the serious mental health crisis in our country.” Six months later, Elmo’s creators at Sesame Workshop have collaborated with the Harris Poll to conduct a more thorough check-in on the state of Americans’ mental health. For the sake of comparison, 89% said the same about physical health, economic security and personal finances, and having “a safe place to call home.” • 77% of people told pollsters that to improve the well-being of future generations, the U.S. should prioritize investments in emotional and mental health. • 44% of all respondents said their families were “still experiencing negative effects from the COVID19 pandemic.” That includes 57% of Black Americans and 56% of Latino Americans who took the survey. • Despite this outpouring of kindness, most people said they didn’t see much of the same in others, with 55% of respondents agreeing that “being kind is not a priority to most people.” In addition, 64% agreed that “most people don’t go out of their way to help others.” • 73% of Americans said they wished they had learned more about how to manage their emotions when they were children.