Some existential questions just can’t be answered, but that doesn’t stop people from trying. People in Kansas, New York, and Vermont are asking “Who am I?” and people in California, Massachusetts, Ohio, and Texas are saying “Hey Google… What’s the meaning of life?” 

Others are asking for advice. “What should I do” was the top searched question in Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, and New Hampshire. Others are clearly worried about the future. People in Oregon and Wisconsin are asking “Is everything going to be OK?” 

Each State’s Most Asked Existential Question

The team at Digital Third Coast analyzed about 8,600 Google search terms to identify the top 10 existential questions people are asking the search engine. They also surveyed 800 Americans to better understand how people use Google to answer their questions and why they use it to better understand the human condition. The nationwide survey finds that 1 in 3 Americans have asked Google an existential question about life. 

Other questions center around faith and religion. Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, and Utah are asking Google “Is there a God?” While people in South Dakota and Mississippi want to know what happens after you die. “Why do bad things happen to good people” is the top-searched question in Delaware and North Dakota. West Virginia wants to know “Why is there evil in the world?” 

Some questions carry less weight but are still perplexing.  People in Maryland, New Jersey, and South Carolina are trying to answer the age-old question “What came first, the chicken or the egg?” “Why is the sky blue” was the top question in Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee. Colorado and Virginia are hungry to know “Is a hotdog a sandwich?” and Maine and Wyoming need help to decide what’s for dinner. 

While some questions are silly, others pull at the heartstrings. Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Washington are asking Google “What is love?” and people in Hawaii, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island want to know if their soulmate is really out there.