Optimism about future for American youth at all-time low

news.yahoo.com...

In recent weeks, we've seen indications that Americans are deeply pessimistic about the state of the economy. Now, there's evidence that we're feeling gloomy not just about the present, but about the future too.

Just 44 percent of respondents to a new Gallup poll said it was very or somewhat likely that today's young people will have a better life than their parents. Fifty-five percent said it was very or somewhat unlikely.

That's the worst response since the question was first asked in 1983. It's far worse, even, than the results the survey yielded during the depths of the Great Recession in March 2009. At that time, 59 percent said it was likely that young people's lives would be better than their parents', while 40 percent said it was unlikely.

Theres a chart on the site if anyones interested.

Does this mean the the majority on Americans think the future will be worse for our children? According to these polls, it looks like it. Me? I have to agree with the majority here.

According to the article, the older generations dont see much hope for our younger ones.

Older Americans were much more pessimistic about the future than younger ones. Among those between the ages of 50 and 64, just 36 percent said they expected younger Americans to have a better life than their parents, and among those 65 and over, just 37 percent did.

Heres what the younger and middle age generations think.

By contrast, 57 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds said they expected their lives to be better than their parents'. Among Americans aged 30-44, 45 percent agreed with that view--a total just about in sync with the results as a whole.

The majority (in these polls) in the younger generations think their lives will be better than their parents, but as the age goes up, the optimism begins to fall.

Why does optimism fall as age increases? I dont really know. My guess would be that the older generations have experienced much more in life other than the younger generations. Im guessing they dont see the quality of life increasing within the next decade or 2, but thats just my theory.

Gallup didn't probe for the cause of Americans' anxieties. But other surveys have suggested that fears about economic globalization--and particularly the movement of jobs abroad--play a large role.

In a recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, just 28 percent of respondents said the economy is getting better, while 44 percent said it's getting worse. A New York Times/CBS News poll came away with a similar result: Twenty-three percent said it's getting better, and 39 percent said it's getting worse. And those surveys were both taken before the release of a government report that found the economy grew by a deeply disappointing 1.8 percent in the first quarter of 2010.

The Washington Post/ABC and NYTimes/CBS polls came out mid-april. Not even half of Americans think the economy is getting better. Only about a quarter do. Me? I dont see much hope at the moment.

reply to post by buni11687


ill tell you what, im 29 and i dont have the same hope i had ten years ago,i went from being hopeful to the point i knew i was going somewhere to the point where im just waiting for the final collapse and dont have hope for my sons future,its pretty grim,im not one for denial and wishful thinking,if i know somethings terribly wrong then you better believe it

reply to post by CUJOCREEP


Gotta say I agree with you. Im 23 and had high hopes years ago. Nowdays, I wonder what it will be like in the next decade. I wonder about stuff like, "What will life be like for my children in the next few years." I dont have kids, but just a what if. Im kind of hoping for a collapse in hopes that somehow we can build a better system after.

reply to post by buni11687


i think we need to level the whole playing field literally and rebuild it according to things like gee i dont know,common sense? lol, we need good strong morals,compassion,empathy,i dont wanna quote hitler but we need a roof over every head and a chicken in every pot and really stick to it and mean it,they wanna weed us out? well lets weed out all the greedy people