US Youth Job Optimism at 43%, Widest Age Gap Globally

Young Americans' optimism about the job market has plunged to 43 percent, the lowest level in over a decade and well below the 64 percent expressed by those aged 55 and older, according to a Gallup World Poll released this week. The 21-percentage-point generational gap marks the widest among 141 countries and territories surveyed globally.

The poll, based on telephone interviews with about 1,000 Americans aged 15 and older conducted from June 14 to July 16, 2025, asked respondents whether it was a good time to find a job in their local area. Younger adults aged 15 to 34 ranked 87th worldwide in optimism, reversing a longstanding pattern where this group typically outpaced older Americans in positive views, even during the Great Recession.

Gallup analysts noted the shift began after 2023, with young Americans' confidence dropping 27 percentage points by 2025 to levels last seen around 2010. The steepest declines occurred among young women, college-educated adults and those not yet employed full time. "It's an incredibly new phenomenon," said Benedict Vigers of Gallup. He added that 2025 was the first year young Americans expressed more pessimism than their peers in other...