Americans Give Their Forecast for 2030
Some say the best way to predict the future is to create the future. In this month’s Thought Starter sourced by Ipsos’ eNation Omnibus, we fast forward 13 years to examine ways our lives may differ in the year 2030.
In this month’s Thought Starter sourced by Ipsos’ eNation Omnibus, we fast forward 13 years to examine ways our lives may differ in the year 2030.
It’s hard to believe that only a decade ago, the iPhone and Uber weren’t words ingrained in our lexicon. The world is constantly changing and that pace seems to quicken each year.
What else is expected to happen by 2030? A majority (59%) say print newspapers will be a thing of the past and carrying a wallet will no longer be necessary (48%). Brick and mortar retail stores will be greatly reduced from today’s options (46%). A full 43% of Americans are expecting cell phones be to worn as a watch, rather than carried in their purse or pocket.
The vast majority (72%) think cyber hacking and privacy concerns will be a larger problem in 2030 as compared to today. Frightening, yes — however, advancements in cyber security are fertile ground for the next big leap in technology development.
While less than half of American adults expect major diseases to disappear in the foreseeable future, 40% predict a cure for most cancers, 38% for diabetes and 32% predict a cure for Alzheimer’s by 2030. These numbers indicate a hopeful outlook for some of our most debilitating chronic diseases.
Overall, what one area do Americans expect to see the biggest change by 2030? Not surprisingly, technology (38%) was by far the leading prediction, followed by medicine/science (14%), environment (11%), economy (8%), diversity of population (8%), politics (6%), travel/transportation (6%), health & nutrition (5%) and household composition/lifestyle (5%).
Will our homes finally look like the Jetsons’ by 2030? Unfortunately, no. That’s according to most Americans, at least. No one anticipates that cars will fly us home to Rosie the Robot, but they do think homes will be more environmentally-friendly. Most suggest homes that use significantly less energy and water will be standard in 2030.
Americans have positive feelings about the economy: 67% predict economic growth will be stronger in 2030 than today. That’s a good thing, because about half of Americans said they expect public college to cost over $50,000 and private to be over $100,000 per year by 2030. Only 20% expect college to be cheaper in 13 years and one fourth say they expect the government will pay for college by 2030.
And who will be president in 2030? After the surprising outcome of the 2016 election, Americans are predicting a more traditional leader for 2030.
