Self-Improvement Statistics 2026
The most useful recent numbers on potential, effort, time, feedback and connection, with what each one means for your own life.
Most people believe they are capable of more, and the data shows how much is going unused. In the 2026 Untapped Potential Report, 92% of working adults said they are capable of more than they are currently doing, yet Gallup finds only 20% of employees worldwide are engaged at work. People are interrupted every two minutes, more than half say they spend too much time on their phones, and loneliness is rising, especially among young adults. The common thread: the gap is rarely ability. It is attention, follow-through and connection.
I put this page together because the same questions keep coming up in interviews and from readers: How many people feel stuck? Is it just me? What does the research say? Below are the four findings from my own survey, followed by the strongest recent numbers from Gallup, Microsoft, Pew, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and others. Every outside number links to its original source.
From the Untapped Potential Report (2026)
Full methodology and results are in The Untapped Potential Report.
Potential and engagement
Time and attention
Growth and feedback
Fear, follow-through and connection
Most people do not have a talent problem. They have an attention, follow-through and connection problem, and all three are fixable.
What these numbers mean for you
Assume you have more in you
If 92% of working adults believe they are capable of more, feeling that way does not make you unusual. It makes you honest. The question is not whether the gap exists. It is what you will do about it this week.
Protect your attention
Interruptions every two minutes and hours of daily screen time are where potential quietly leaks. Protect one block a day like a meeting you cannot move, and keep the phone in another room during it. See How to Stop Doomscrolling.
Go get feedback
Weekly meaningful feedback is linked to dramatically higher engagement, yet most people rarely get it. Do not wait for your manager. Ask one person a specific question every week. See How to Get Honest Feedback.
Plan for the middle of every goal
Most people do not keep their goals all year, and the drop-off starts early. Expect the boring middle. Decide in advance how you will come back after a missed day. See Discipline vs Motivation.
Invest in people
Loneliness is rising, especially for young adults. One phone call, one check-in or one mentoring relationship makes a measurable difference for someone. See How to Make a Difference in Someone’s Life.
The gap is rarely ability.
It is attention, follow-through
and connection.
For journalists and researchers
You are welcome to cite any figure on this page. For the Untapped Potential Report findings, please cite: Sund, C. (2026). The Untapped Potential Report. YouAreCapableOfMore.com. For all other figures, please cite the original source linked beside each number. For interviews, bios and the report summary, see Press & Media and the Press Kit. Past coverage is on As Seen In and On Air.
More statistics: Personal Development Statistics (habits, goals and procrastination research), Self-Doubt Statistics, Procrastination Statistics and What Percentage of People Feel Capable of More?. This page was last updated in October 2026.
Common questions
What percentage of people feel they are capable of more?
In the 2026 Untapped Potential Report, a survey of more than 200 working adults, 92% said they are capable of more than they are currently doing.
What percentage of employees are engaged at work?
Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace 2026 report found that 20% of employees worldwide were engaged in 2025, the lowest level since 2020. In the U.S., 31% were actively engaged in 2025.
How often are workers interrupted?
Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index found employees are interrupted every two minutes during core work hours, about 275 times a day.
How many people feel lonely?
Gallup found 22% of employees worldwide felt lonely a lot of the previous day, and the World Happiness Report 2025 found 19% of young adults worldwide have no one they can count on for social support.
How many people keep their New Year’s resolutions?
YouGov found 31% of Americans planned a resolution for 2026, and only 39% of those said it was very likely they would keep it all year.
Most people believe they have more in them, and the data agrees. The gap is rarely ability. It is attention, follow-through and connection.
You Are Capable
of More.
Ten principles for becoming the person you know you are capable of being, built from real stories of people who doubted themselves and did it anyway. Winner of the How-To category at the 2026 Paris Book Festival.
When I’ve got something worth sending.
Just a story or an idea I picked up that I think will help you.
Sometimes that’s twice in a month. Sometimes it’s not for a while.