This article was co-written by Jing-Jing Shen and Rebecca Araten.
Right now, the lives of young people are fraught: worries surrounding healthcare, debt, and the cost of housing weigh heavily on young consciences. A majority of America’s youth — 50.4% — describe themselves as suffering in some way or another. They worry about what the political realm has in store for them, expressing dissatisfaction with policies, politicians, and even politics overall. Yet young people still harbor hope.
The latest poll of Americans ages 18 to 29 conducted by the Harvard Public Opinion Project found that over half (57.9%) of respondents said they felt fearful about the future. The sources of these fears are plentiful. The most commonly cited concern was the novel coronavirus (19.4% of responses), followed by issues related to health care (14.8%), the environment (7.9%), and the economy (6.4%). Levels of concern over the economy and the environment remain close to the corresponding figures from the Fall 2019 HPOP survey while healthcare worries have risen twofold. Close to a majority of youth (43.4%) voiced concerns about accessing health care, and a similar number (44.8%) expressed worries about accessing mental health care. Around two-thirds of survey responses came in right as the COVID-19 pandemic began to cause massive national closures, and four in 10 (43.0%) respondents said they believe someone they know will die from the disease. Beyond health worries, a majority (57.2%) of youth have debt, an even greater number (63.4%) are concerned about the cost of housing, and a staggering 64.8% of college students believe it will be difficult to find a job upon graduation. As overwhelming as these figures may be to process in close succession, they are even more overwhelming to live through on a daily basis. Troubles abound and only seem to be growing.
Among the problems that young people face is a disappointment in how the political realm, which theoretically should offer solutions, functions. Young people feel a disconnect with their political leaders, with only 10.3% of survey respondents feeling that elected officials share their priorities. A majority of young people (55.8%) agreed that politics has become too partisan. These findings line up with growing party divides and dissatisfaction with polarization. A March 2020 Pew Research Center study found that a striking 91% of survey respondents believed that conflicts between Democrats and Republicans are either strong or very strong, up from 86% in 2017. The growing hostility across political differences is just another problem that young people face. Nonetheless, it is not one that prevents young people from seeking the political changes they want to see.
Despite the laundry list of anxieties, hope springs eternal. While young Americans worry about both the present and the future, many believe that change is not only necessary but possible. This hope manifests in numerous ways. For some respondents, it displayed itself as a relativization of their own struggles and a conviction that, on the whole, America is a better place to live than most other countries. Of all respondents, 60.7% preferred to live in the United States rather than anywhere else. And over half of young Americans agree with the statement “I can succeed in America by working hard.” Despite minor variations among different races (65.6% for White respondents, 59.2% for Black respondents, and 64.8% for Hispanic respondents), a majority of youth retain faith in this American Dream.
The poll results also imply that politics may serve as a source of hope since most respondents believe political processes can have a real impact. Three in five (60.6%) young people think the outcome of the 2020 presidential election will make a difference in their lives, and 63.7% of survey respondents disagreed with the statement “It doesn’t really matter to me who the President is.” Daily worries that young people must wrestle with are real, but there is potential personal relevance from politics and policy. The struggle is ongoing, but a belief in the potential efficacy of politics to address the challenges confronted by youth persists.
Additionally, politically engaged youth have more hope about the future. Among self-identified politically engaged respondents, the percentage of people who said they were more hopeful than fearful about the future rose to 45.6%, versus 40.5% for all respondents. Young people who are more hopeful are not only slightly more politically engaged (35.4%) but also say they are more likely to vote in the 2020 presidential election (70.4%) compared to those who are not hopeful (31.5% and 67.9%, respectively). This correlation between political participation and hope suggests that those who imagine a bright future are actively striving to make that vision a reality.
In one example, although the environment is a huge source of anxiety for young people, young folks have harnessed their fears to fight for a better environmental future. This model of fear catalyzing activism is one that could extend to other troubling issues. The environment has not been a source of positivity for young people, a 2019 Washington Post survey showed, with 69% of surveyed teens saying that they do not feel optimistic about climate change. HPOP survey data corroborated this in finding that young people are still plagued with environmental concerns, with 7.9% of respondents overall, and 10.2% of fearful individuals, listing the environment as a top source of alarm. Consequently, teenagers have been responding to their anxieties with activism and action. One in four of the Washington Post’s surveyed teens had participated in a walkout, demonstrating how ready younger Americans are to take active steps toward change.
Young people are not only driven to work towards change that benefits them specifically; they also have compassion for others. The HPOP poll found that 87.6% of respondents supported some form of government involvement in debt cancellation, as opposed to inaction, as a remedy for the rising levels of debt confronted by many young people (57.2% of those surveyed). The poll results demonstrated this widespread support for public policy to address the crisis, although well over a majority (67.5%) of young people rated their own personal financial situations as “good.” Among financially stable individuals, 66.3% favored replacing current political institutions, and 71.6% supported institutional reform. While individuals might not be facing financial difficulties themselves, they still would opt for change, suggesting that people may be interested in systemic improvements beyond improvements to their own personal wellbeing. Veneration of selflessness was a common thread throughout responses, with 77.3% of surveyed youth agreeing that community service is honorable. This altruism may push young people to bring about change, with impacts that extend beyond themselves.
Young Americans are worried about the future. Yet their belief in the possibility of change, potentially as a result of the upcoming election and/or future governmental action, prevails. On the heels of hope follows engagement. Youth who are more hopeful are more likely to follow the news closely and respond that they will likely turn out for the upcoming general election. Even as many issues keep young Americans up at night, there remains hope that they will awake to a better tomorrow.
Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons / Felton Davis
