Young Americans shouldn’t be too excited about the future of the country, say a majority of Gallup respondents.
The poll, released on Monday, six out of 10 Americans are dissatisfied with “the opportunity for the next generation of Americans to live better than their parents,” with a total of 58 percent of adults saying they are concerned.
Generally, those 55 and older are the most negative about the upcoming generation’s prospects, with 62 percent saying they are dissatisfied.
The 18-to-34 crowd is most the positive of the future prospects of their generation.
The poll shows that Americans today are less enthusiastic about the future of the country overall and express serious doubts about whether the traditional American Dream – “the opportunity for a poor person in this nation to get ahead by working hard” – is still true, with 48 percent saying they are skeptical.
Additionally, 52 percent of respondents said that Americans are not as willing “to work hard to better themselves” as they were in the past, with 45 percent disagreeing.
Those identified as Democrats typically feel the most upbeat about the “opportunity for [the] next generation to live better than their parents,” with 48 percent agreeing. Self-identified Republicans are 37 percent confident things will get better.
Despite the seemingly negative numbers, according to Gallup Americans hold are still more positive when asked the same questions in both 1992 and 1994. Gallup did not say how this year’s number stacked up to more recent data.
