Despite recessions, a pandemic, and decades of war, young people are optimistic

Growing up in the shadow of two decades of wars, multiple economic collapses, and now a pandemic, you might think that young people in America are doomed. As columnist David Brooks recently noted, “Children can now expect to have a lower quality of life than their parents.” Brooks is not alone in his fears for the next generation; most people believe that today’s children will not grow up to be better off.

This downbeat assessment is also not unique to our turbulent times. For decades, with the exception of the economic boom times of the late 1990s, people have feared for the next generation. But this worry is more often the province of older people, concerned that the children of any given era are on a troubled path.