The following is an excerpt adapted from the new book Fear Your Future: How the Deck Is Stacked against Millennials and Why Socialism Would Make It Worse.

In early 2018, a large, recurring poll of young Americans conducted by the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics asked, “At this moment, would you say that you are more hopeful or fearful about the future of America?” In response, 64% — nearly two-thirds of those aged 18 to 29 — said that they were more fearful, compared with just 33% who said they were more hopeful.