This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: The kids are not all right on the future. For the first time in the 26-year history of the Harvard Youth Poll, more respondents expect to be worse off financially than their parents (27%) than better off (25%).
In addition, 49% of the young adults say their personal finances are worse than when the current presidential administration took office, according to the latest biannual poll of Americans aged 18–29 by the Institute of Politics at the Harvard Kennedy School. Betsy Fischer Martin, director of the IOP, and John Della Volpe, its director of polling, say the survey results may figure into the upcoming midterm elections, widely being viewed as a referendum on the president's policies and the nation's economy. But they say the pessimism among young people extends beyond those concerns to doubts about the future of American democracy and their place in it.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity. John Della Volpe: I wouldn't say it came as a total shock. We saw in the spring of '24 that only 9% of young Americans saw the country headed in the right direction.
Then there were two surveys in a row where that number was 13%. We know what's driving those numbers: a deep level of economic concern and a sense that their voice wasn't reflected in politics, and those factors have not improved as we've moved closer to this election. So no, I wouldn't say it was a surprise.
Betsy Fischer Martin: Back in 2003, when we asked college students whether they expected to be financially better off than their parents, 74% said yes. But today, that number was just 28%. For generations, we've told kids, if you get a good education, work hard, find a job, and buy a home, you're going to have a chance to build that better life, that American dream.
But that path looks harder and harder for young people. These young people are wondering, "How am I going to raise a family or build that financial security?" It's a profound change in what's attainable. We're speaking amid historic protests across Europe that are essentially about the same issues—affordability and quality of life for young people.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
