Americans have as little optimism as they have had at any time in nearly three decades about young people’s chances of having greater material success in life than their parents. In all, 42% of U.S. adults think it is very (13%) or somewhat (29%) likely that today’s youth “will have a better living standard, better homes, a better education and so on.” This marks an 18-percentage-point drop since June 2019 and is statistically tied with the previous low in 2011.
Since 2008, Gallup has been gauging Americans’ assessments of the next generation’s likelihood of surpassing their parents’ living standards, and before that — from 1995 through 2003 — the question was asked by The New York Times and CBS News. The highest percentage of U.S. adults expecting better lives for the next generation was 71% in 1999 and 2001.
While the latest 42% combined very/somewhat likely reading, from a Sept. 1-16 poll, is two points below the prior low in 2011, the current 13% who are very likely to feel optimistic about the next generation’s achievements matches the 2011 and 2012 readings and is slightly above the lowest on record, 11% in 1995.
Twenty-eight percent say it is somewhat unlikely that today’s youth will have better lives than their parents, while 29% — two points above the prior high from 2011 — say it is very unlikely.
Americans Less Optimistic About Next Generation's Future https://t.co/rVLKtoAQFu
— Frank Graves (@VoiceOfFranky) October 25, 2022