Young Americans’ job market optimism falls as older adults stay upbeat, new Gallup poll finds

A new Gallup World Poll shows a dramatic shift in job market sentiment among Americans, with younger workers now far more pessimistic than older adults. Only 43% of Americans aged 15-34 say it’s a good time to find a job, compared to 64% of those 55 and over—a gap wider than in any other surveyed country. Globally, younger people typically remain more optimistic about job prospects, but the U.S. now stands out as one of just five nations where youth pessimism exceeds older generations by at least 10 points. The decline among young Americans is steep: confidence plummeted by 27 percentage points from 2023 to 2025, mirroring the drop seen during the 2008 financial crisis. Older Americans, however, have maintained stable optimism, with their views barely changing over the same period. This reversal marks the first time Gallup has recorded young Americans as more pessimistic than their peers in other developed economies. The data suggests a growing generational divide, with younger voters increasingly focused on economic struggles like housing costs. Older Americans, meanwhile, remain more optimistic about both job opportunities and the broader economy, according to recent AP-NORC polling. The shift could further fuel political tensions, as economic dissatisfaction among youth contrasts sharply with the relative stability in older generations’ outlook. Gallup analyst Benedict Vigers called the trend ‘an incredibly new phenomenon,’ noting that young Americans have historically been among the most optimistic globally. The U.S. now ranks 87th out of 141 countries in youth job market expectations, a dramatic fall from past performance. Countries like New Zealand and Canada also show low youth optimism, but without the same generational split seen in the U.S. The divergence began after a post-COVID rebound in job confidence, with all age groups seeing declines in 2023. However, younger workers experienced the sharpest drop, while older adults’ views remained largely unchanged. The findings highlight deepening economic disparities between generations, with potential long-term implications for policy and political engagement.