Futures Thinking
More than half of Americans, young and old, say children today will be less economically successful than their parents. But people in poorer nations are more optimistic.


Clockwise from top left: Khadija Farah for The New York Times; Ben Roberts for The New York Times; Marie Eriel Hobro for The New York Times; Andri Tambunan for The New York Times; Anastasia Vlasova for The New York Times

"Will the next generation do better than the one that came before? To young people in wealthier nations, that dream of upward mobility seems more like a story about the past than modern-day reality, according to a large new survey taken in 21 countries.

"In poorer countries, though, there is still hope that young people’s lives will be better than those of their parents, and that the world is becoming a better place.

“'In a lot of the developing world, there is a bit more optimism that yes, with each generation our living standards are improving,' said Laurence Chandy, director of the office of global insight and policy at UNICEF, which conducted the survey with Gallup. 'But there’s a recognition in the West that’s stopped happening.'”

Article: Where Are Young People Most Optimistic? In Poorer Nations

Related Article: Young People More Optimistic About the World Than Older Generations – Unicef