La Alianza Domestic Worker Surveys - Well-Being Report
OVER 4 IN 10 DOMESTIC WORKERS REPORT POOR PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING IN 2025 SURVEY
July 2025
Five new questions around psychological well-being were introduced to La Alianza ongoing surveys in 2025. Spanish-speaking domestic workers were asked to self-report feelings of well-being using an adapted version of the World Health Organization – Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5) [1]. We adapted the survey instrument to accommodate question format and character limit restrictions in our survey tool. This report includes findings from 233 responses to two quarterly well-being surveys, fielded in February and May of 2025, respectively.
ABOUT DOMESTIC WORK
Domestic workers are the nannies, house cleaners, and home care workers that make all other work possible. They care for our children, bring order to our homes, and ensure our loved ones receive the assistance they need to live with dignity and independence in their homes.
Despite their essential contributions to our economy, domestic workers are some of the most vulnerable and marginalized workers. They earn less than the average US worker and are three times as likely to be living in poverty, often holding several jobs across multiple employers to make ends meet [2]. These economic pressures, combined with the isolated nature of working in private homes and lack of traditional workplace protections, create unique stressors that can significantly impact workers' psychological well-being.
KEY FINDINGS
In February of this year, 46% of respondents reported poor psychological well-being, according to the well-being score threshold suggested by the WHO. This is higher than the share of surveyed domestic workers who reported poor psychological well-being (43%) in the spring of 2024 [3].
The share of respondents with poor psychological well-being remained the same in May, at 46%.
METHODS
The WHO-5 is a self-report instrument presenting the following five statements rated on a 6-point scale, where higher scores correspond with better psychological well-being.
I have felt cheerful and in good spirits
I have felt calm and relaxed
I have felt active and vigorous
I woke up feeling fresh and rested
My daily life has been filled with things that interest me
In particular, the survey asks respondents to rate each statement according to what best describes how they have been feeling in the past two weeks. Responses include “At no time”, “Some of the time”, “Less than seven days”, “More than seven days”, “Most of the time”, and “All of the time”. Scores corresponding to each answer choice range from 0 to 5 points, respectively.
Raw scores are calculated by adding the value of a participant’s responses to all five statements. Raw scores range from 0 to 25, with zero indicating participants who select “At no time” for all five statements and 25 indicating a consistent selection of “All of the time”. A percentage score is then calculated by multiplying the raw score by four. Percentage scores range from 0 to 100. According to the WHO, a percentage score below 50 indicates poor mental well being and warrants further assessment for a possible mental health condition, including depression.
FINDINGS
This report captures findings from two surveys conducted in the first six months of 2025.
In February, well-being scores ranged from 8 to 100, with a median score of 56 and average of 55.2. Notably, 46% of respondents had a score below 50, placing them within the WHO established cut-off for poor psychological well-being. This is higher than the share of surveyed domestic workers who reported poor psychological well-being (43%) in the spring of 2024 [5].
In May, well-being scores ranged from 12 to 100, with a median score of 56 and average of 54.3. The share of respondents within the poor psychological well-being cut-off was unchanged.
WHY THIS MATTERS
These rates of poor psychological well-being, affecting nearly half of surveyed workers, represent a significant challenge that demands attention. These findings establish an important baseline for monitoring domestic workers' well-being over time. The high rates of poor psychological well-being warrant continued monitoring and suggest the need for deeper investigation into the specific work-related factors contributing to these outcomes. Future quarterly reports will track these trends alongside economic security and working conditions data to better understand the relationship between work and well-being in this sector.
ABOUT THE SURVEY
NDWA surveys thousands of Spanish-speaking domestic workers via La Alianza, a Messenger chatbot. This report includes data from 2 quarterly surveys regarding psychological well-being. The first quarter survey was fielded in February and had 122 respondents. The second quarter survey was fielded in May and had 111 respondents. To learn more about NDWA’s La Alianza survey of Spanish-speaking domestic workers, see the methodology section of this report.
References
1 World Health Organization (2024), The World Health Organization Five Well-Being Index [Translation]
2 Economic Policy Institute (2022), Domestic Workers Chartbook
3 Lopez Gonzalez, Nuñez, Diaz-Linhart, Kochan (2025). Worker Voice in Private Homes: Measuring Domestic Workers’ Say in Workplace Issues. https://www.domesticworkers.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Worker-Voice-Report-English.pdf
4 World Health Organization (2024), The World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5)
5 Lopez Gonzalez, Nuñez, Diaz-Linhart, Kochan (2025). Worker Voice in Private Homes: Measuring Domestic Workers’ Say in Workplace Issues. https://www.domesticworkers.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/Worker-Voice-Report-English.pdf