Historically, younger Americans have expressed greater optimism about the job market than older generations, even amid the Great Recession's worst periods. Yet a poll unveiled Monday signals a sudden change: confidence among young people has fallen sharply over the last two years - while seniors hold steady with brighter outlooks.

This divide in American views on the job market exceeds that in any of the 141 nations covered by the Gallup World Poll. In the US, just 43% of individuals aged 15-34 consider it "a good time" to seek employment in their local area, far short of the 64% among those 55 and older who agree.

Elsewhere globally, the pattern flips. The median proportion of young respondents worldwide viewing local job markets favorably stands at 48%, versus 38% for older adults.

These results highlight a growing generational split in perceptions of economic chances, as youth increasingly feel discouraged about job opportunities and elders continue seeing favorable conditions. This divide could further widen political tensions between generations, with younger voters prioritizing issues like housing affordability and showing reduced trust in key institutions.

"This represents a strikingly novel trend," noted Gallup's Benedict Vigers regarding the pessimism among young Americans. He pointed out that last year marked the first instance in decades of Gallup polling where US youth were less optimistic about jobs than peers in other developed nations. "Is this occurring across most advanced economies? Absolutely not."

Typically, younger individuals - unburdened by physical constraints or family duties and quicker to adapt - exhibit stronger optimism about securing employment.

However, the latest Gallup data identifies the US as one of only five countries where youth are at least 10 percentage points more negative about job availability than seniors, alongside China, Hong Kong, Norway, Serbia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Out of 141 surveyed countries, young Americans place 87th in job market optimism. Vigers called this notable, given their prior global reputation for positivity on employment. Nations like New Zealand and Canada show lower youth optimism overall but lack a pronounced age-based gap.

The split between US age groups emerged rapidly. All demographics saw job market confidence dip after 2023 - post the 2021-2022 COVID recovery - but those 34 and under experienced the steepest recent fall. The percentage of young Americans deeming it "a good time" for jobs dropped 27 points from 2023 to 2025, mirroring youth declines during the 2008 crisis, when older views also tanked sharply. That pattern has not repeated lately; seniors' sentiments have held firm.

Seniors also view the broader economy more favorably, per recent AP-NORC surveys. Roughly 8 in 10 under-35s rate the US economy as very or somewhat poor, based on an April AP-NORC poll. About 6 in 10 adults 55+ concur, though most still hold negative opinions.

John Della Volpe, who polls US youth for Harvard Kennedy School's Institute of Politics, observed that young people often feel exasperated by older generations' lack of grasp on their economic hurdles.

"It adds to the mental health strain - 'my parents fail to see how much simpler their path was at my life stage,'" Della Volpe explained.

Young Americans' current job market sentiments echo 2010 levels, deep into the Great Recession. This is not Gallup's first such discovery of youth gloom; they also report elevated anxiety over personal finances relative to global peers their age.

Another Gallup study on US job outlooks detected pessimism rising late 2024 into 2025, aligning with President Donald Trump's second term start and AI's ascent, which many see as disruptive to entry-level roles.

The poll pinpoints the most disillusioned youth as jobless newcomers, recent college grads, and young women. Yet pessimism has risen across young demographics, spanning genders and education levels.

"No matter their profile, they are more downbeat than three years back," Vigers stated of US youth.

Seniors with milder job market views are often retired and job-hunting free. They also tend to own homes - a cornerstone of US wealth increasingly elusive for younger cohorts.

Everyday finances loomed large in the 2024 election, especially for youth, where Trump gained ground promising growth, inflation control, and affordability. Yet like other 2024 Trump supporters, some young backers have cooled amid persistent inflation, recent AP-NORC data shows.

Nearly 8 in 10 under-35s disapprove of Trump's economic and cost-of-living handling, versus about 6 in 10 seniors, the AP-NORC poll revealed.

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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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