For years, younger Americans have exhibited greater optimism regarding job availability compared to their older counterparts. This trend persisted even during the challenging economic climate of the Great Recession. However, a recent Gallup poll reveals a significant turnaround; the confidence of young people in the U.S. job market has dramatically decreased over the past two years, while older Americans maintain a more positive outlook.
According to the Gallup World Poll, the disparity between the job market perceptions of younger (ages 15-34) and older Americans (ages 55 and over) is now the widest among the 141 countries surveyed. Currently, only 43% of younger Americans believe it is “a good time” to find work in their locality, compared to 64% of older individuals who share this sentiment.
Globally, the situation appears markedly different. The median percentage of young people worldwide who feel it is a good time to find employment stands at 48%, contrasting with just 38% among older populations. This highlights a significant generational divide in American attitudes toward economic opportunity, with younger individuals feeling increasingly disheartened about their job prospects.
Benedict Vigers from Gallup noted, “It’s an incredibly new phenomenon,” pointing out that for the first time in decades, young Americans are more pessimistic about job prospects than their peers in other developed nations. This shift is particularly alarming, as other advanced economies have not experienced similar declines.
Typically, younger individuals, who often face fewer physical limitations and family obligations, display a greater sense of optimism regarding job availability. Yet, the Gallup analysis indicates that the U.S. is one of only five countries where younger people are more pessimistic about job availability compared to older individuals, joining the ranks of China, Hong Kong, Norway, Serbia, and the United Arab Emirates.
In fact, among the surveyed countries, younger Americans ranked 87th in terms of job market expectations. This is a notable decline, especially since young Americans have historically stood out for their optimism about job opportunities. In contrast, countries like New Zealand and Canada also show lower optimism levels among younger demographics, but lack a significant generational divide.
The abrupt shift in confidence levels among younger Americans is stark. Following a rebound in 2021 and 2022 post-COVID, every age group in the U.S. experienced a drop in job market confidence in 2023. However, those aged 34 and younger saw the most significant decline, with the percentage declaring it “a good time” to find a job plummeting by 27 percentage points from 2023 to 2025. This decline mirrors the severe drop in confidence witnessed during the 2008 financial crisis, which similarly affected older Americans, though in recent years, older generations have maintained a more stable perspective.
Additionally, recent AP-NORC polling indicates that older Americans possess a more favorable view of the overall economic landscape. Approximately 80% of adults under 35 categorize the U.S. economy as very or somewhat poor, whereas about 60% of those aged 55 and older share this negative view, although a majority still perceive the economy unfavorably.
Pollster John Della Volpe, who frequently surveys young Americans for the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, highlights the frustration among youth regarding older generations’ lack of understanding of their current economic challenges. “It’s just another thing that drains their mental health — ‘my parents don’t understand that their pathway at this stage in life that I’m in was so much easier,’” he explained.
The current level of pessimism among younger Americans is reminiscent of the Great Recession era, with their job market views now closely mirroring those of 2010. This trend is not isolated; separate Gallup surveys have identified heightened anxiety among young Americans regarding financial issues compared to their peers in other nations.
Moreover, the new poll indicates that the most disillusioned young individuals are those who have yet to secure their first job, college graduates, and young women. However, this heightened pessimism appears widespread, affecting all subgroups of younger Americans, including men and those who have not pursued higher education.
Vigers summarizes this worrying trend by stating, “Whoever they are, they are more pessimistic than they were three years ago.” The older Americans who maintain a less dire outlook are often retired and thus not actively seeking employment. They are also more likely to own homes, a critical component of American prosperity that increasingly seems unattainable for younger generations.
Financial concerns significantly influenced the 2024 election, particularly among younger voters. Despite an initial alignment with Trump’s stance on economic prosperity, recent polling indicates that young Americans are growing disillusioned with the president, especially as inflation continues to be a pressing issue. Approximately 80% of adults under 35 disapprove of Trump’s handling of the economy and the cost of living, in contrast to around 60% of older adults.
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The Gallup World Poll results are based on telephone interviews conducted among approximately 1,000 U.S. adults from June 14 to July 16, 2025. The margin of error is ±4.4 percentage points for the U.S. sample.
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Associated Press writer Linley Sanders in Washington contributed to this report.
