War-ravaged Afghanistan has been occupied by US and NATO troops for over a decade.

Now, with no end of the war in sight and according to new polling by Gallup, the misery and hopelessness of Afghans remains near its lowest point since similar polling was first conducted in 2008.

Based on the Cantril Self-Anchoring Striving Scale, where 0 represents the worst possible life and 10 represents the best possible life, Afghans on average, according to Gallup, "rate their current lives a low 3.88, showing no gains since dropping from a high of 4.76 in 2010."

Afghans' outlook for their future also remains near its lowest point since Gallup began asking 'life outlook' questions in 2008. In addition, the stress of living in a war zone and uncertainty about the war's outcome creates tremendous daily stress. According to the poll, "Afghans are also more likely to say they experience stress and worry, according to 2012 data. More than one in three (36%) report feeling worry during a lot of the day prior to the interview, and 28% report feeling stress a lot of the previous day."

With peace efforts going nowhere and the impact of the ongoing war taking a backseat to domestic concerns in the ongoing US presidential campaign, Afghans' satisfaction with their standard of living has steadily deteriorated. Worse still, unless peace talks can begin in earnest, relief from such emotional strains seem absent from the horizon.

http://www.commondreams.org/