America has a pessimism problem. Surveys show that large percentages of the public envision a future of decline and despair.
This is concerning because building a better future starts with envisioning a better future. The good news is that we might be able to inspire a positive outlook about the future by doing a better job of highlighting past progress.
America has long enjoyed a reputation for being a country of future-looking optimists. Yet, a survey by the Pew Research Center revealed that at least two-thirds of Americans believe that the nation will become economically weaker, less important in the world, and more politically divided by 2050. A Wall Street Journal-NORC survey showed that nearly 80% of Americans do not expect life for their children’s generation to be better than it has been for their own generation.
Numerous other polls indicate that most Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. At the Human Flourishing Lab, we regularly conduct surveys exploring American attitudes about the future, and we generally find that only around half of the population (at best) has positive expectations about the future of their nation. This is true for both abstract attitudes of the future and specific beliefs about how technological advances will affect life in the coming years. For example, we have found that over 50% of Americans believe that artificial intelligence will largely have negative effects on society and our personal lives by reducing human freedom and creativity while destabilizing the economy.
Does this matter? Some might believe that we don’t need a positive attitude about the future to build a better tomorrow. I’ve even heard people claim that optimism might undermine progress by encouraging complacency.
However, a large body of behavioral science research reveals that positive future-oriented attitudes do matter for advancing progress. For example, when people adopt a hopeful mindset, they are more self-confident, goal-motivated, resilient, innovative, and actively involved in their communities. Similarly, optimistic people report higher levels of social trust and civic engagement than their pessimistic counterparts. And groups composed of optimistic members are more creative, cooperative, and successful at completing assigned projects.
But how do we inspire Americans to have a more positive attitude toward the future? Our latest survey suggests one possibility: Increase awareness of past progress. Specifically, in a nationally representative survey of over 2,000 U.S. adults conducted in late January, we found that expectations about progress over the next 50 years are strongly related to beliefs about progress during the last 50 years. Specifically, among Americans who believe life in America is better today than it was 50 years ago, 73% expect life to be better 50 years from now than it is today. However, among Americans who do not believe life is better today than it was 50 years ago, only 33% expect it to be better 50 years in the future. This pattern was observed across every demographic category.
Similar to other surveys, we find that young American adults are the least likely to envision a brighter future. However, just like in every other age group, their attitude about past progress made a dramatic difference. Among adults under 25 who think life is better today than it was 50 years ago, 60% expect it to be improved over the next 50 years. This drops to 26% among those who do not think life is better today than it was in the past. In short, regardless of age, gender, level of education, household income, or political affiliation, Americans who recognize past progress are more likely to be optimistic about the future of our nation.
As a culture, we need to do more to educate people about the many advances in science, medicine, technology, and social attitudes that have improved people’s lives in recent decades. We should also encourage gratitude for advancements accomplished by previous generations that make our lives better today. Indeed, research shows that gratitude increases optimism for the future as well as the motivation to make positive contributions to society.
As a society, we often take historical advancements for granted, allowing our current dissatisfactions and daily frustrations to prevent us from stepping outside the present moment to take a larger view and realize that life has improved over time. If people in the past were able to overcome significant obstacles and improve the human condition, so too can we address the challenges of our time. To build a better tomorrow, let’s look to the past for inspiration.
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