Cliff’s Take: Are the Kids Alright?

These are the dog days of summer.  Teenagers are getting back to school.  And business is picking up as people return from holiday trips.  Our lazy summer is coming to an end.

And soon after that we will be in the home stretch of 2021. 

On the political side, Biden's numbers are softening.  This was to be expected.  The 2022 midterms loom large.  The historical average alone suggests that Biden and the Dems will lose the House and Senate.  Divided government, divided times.

Today, I want to shift the focus a bit.  We typically look at public opinion from the adult’s perspective, or, in technical parlance, those Americans age 18 and above. Instead, let's spend some time looking at how American teenagers (14-18) feel about the present state of affairs.  They are the next Gen Z, and their perspective on the world will be indelibly shaped by the pandemic and our bitter political divisions.  

I take from Washington Post/Ipsos polling (from 2021 and 2005) to do this, and detail the most telling data points below.

1. Childhood lost? The teens of today are less bullish about their future than those of yesterday. Are their hopes still shaken by the pandemic?  Or a genetic marker of the times?  Not sure.  But it is worrisome. 

    

2. Pandemic rules. Teens rightfully acknowledge COVID’s disastrous effect on their schooling. What will be the long-term effect of this? It’s too early to say. How many experiences were lost over the past year – sports teams, dances, friends? The cost to our collective experience is insurmountable and unquantifiable.  Imagine the conversations at high school reunions 20 years from now. 

    

3. Divided we are. Our teens feel the political chaos as well. Yes, other things are important too, like racial discrimination, gun violence, and health, but the red-blue divide is first. Once again, we see the tale of two Americas leaving its mark. 

    

4. Apathy and division. Biden wins this match up among teens. But not by much. Teens dislike Trump much more than Biden, but like the two about equally.  Pretty much par for the political course. 

    

5. The important things. Do teens today represent a shift in American values? Look at the data! Our teens today are much less interested in material or reputational success.  Much more concerned with personal "me" time.  This is good, right? 

    

America self-mythologizes as a place of boundless optimism and opportunity. This may be changing.

Our data shows a cynicism creeping into our younger generation’s perspective about America’s place in the world and their own prospects for success.  The young should be more optimistic, not less.

The pandemic of course put a big damper on most people’s outlook, young and old. And the chasm between the red and blue camps is another unavoidable reality. Our teens clearly have few delusions about our present polarized state.

But in the search for a silver lining – could it be that the pandemic has left America a less materialistic place than the one of 2005, and created in its place one more attuned to the values of self-fulfillment?  Maybe.  And this is interesting.

As always, take care and be well.