Younger generations are losing faith in the American dream, and CNN’s Harry Enten said those “depressing” findings are showing up in political polling.
There’s an observable generational divide in how Americans view their prospects versus their parents, Enten said. In 2000, 72 percent said life opportunities were better, versus just 5 percent who said worse. A decade ago, “better” still led, 44 percent to 25 percent, but today that has flipped – 45 percent now say opportunities are worse, versus just 33 percent who say better, a nearly 40-point drop in optimism and a 40-point rise in pessimism since the turn of the century.
“This, to me, more than anything else, tells us about our politics and why we keep seeing this turnover in Washington,” Enten said.
The shift is sharpest among young adults. Among those 18 to 29, just 2 percent said their opportunities were worse than their parents’ in 2000. By 2016, that number climbed to 23 percent. Now, a majority — 54 percent — say their opportunities are worse, a more than 50-point climb over 26 years.
“This is bleak,” said CNN’s John Berman. “I mean, this is just incredibly bleak.”
That pessimism is translating into collapsing support for President Donald Trump among the young, Enten said. His net approval among voters under 30 stood at plus-10 points at the start of his presidency. It has since cratered to negative-30 points — a swing Enten tied to the sense that Trump “hasn’t been able to deliver in their eyes.”
The political consequences are already visible, Enten said, pointing to a Texas congressional district that Trump carried by 18 points in 2024 — in one of the nation’s youngest states — that is now a toss-up. Prediction market Kalshi gives the Democrat a 52 percent chance of winning the seat, against 49 percent for the Republican.
“Younger people just don’t see the opportunities… those in past generations saw compared to their parents,” Enten said, adding that the disillusionment is “pushing out” the Republicans who won over young voters just a few years ago.
“Not such bright horizons,” Berman agreed.
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