The kids are not alright. Grandma, on the other hand, is doing great.
New Gallup data, highlighted this week by Fast Company, shows a growing split in how Americans feel about their lives. Young adults are at a low point, and the oldest Americans are near their best.
The Numbers
Gallup's Life Evaluation Index asks people to rate their current and future lives on a scale of 0 to 10. Anyone who scores high enough on both is counted as "thriving." Fast Company noted that a 7 or higher is the line.
Through the first three quarters of 2026:
- Ages 18–29: 44% thriving, down from a high of 64% in 2010. Gallup says that puts the group on pace to finish 20 points lower.
- Ages 30–44: 45% thriving, down from a high of 62% in 2016 and 2017.
- Ages 45–64: 46% thriving, matching the group's 2008 low.
- Ages 65+: 53% thriving, up from 38% in 2008 and tied with the group's record high from 2021.
The 2026 numbers come from three web surveys conducted in February, May and August with 15,156 U.S. adults in the Gallup Panel, according to Gallup.
When It Fell Apart
According to Gallup, young adults' scores slipped modestly through the 2010s, to 57% in 2019. Then COVID hit. In 2020, the thriving rate for 18- to 29-year-olds dropped to 39%.
Fast Company pointed out that the pandemic hit Gen Z especially hard: remote school and isolation from friends came at a formative age. The group recovered to 51% by 2023 before falling again.
Gallup says about two-thirds of the total decline has happened since 2019.
What's Behind It
Gallup's data on 18- to 29-year-olds compared with 2019:
- 27% currently have or are being treated for depression, up 11 points
- 47% say their relationship with a spouse, partner or closest friend is stronger than ever, down 18 points
- 64% experienced enjoyment the day before they were surveyed, down 17 points
- 28% felt active and productive every day in the past week, down 16 points
- 31% reached most of their goals in the past year, down 13 points
"The substantial decline in wellbeing among U.S. adults aged 18 to 29 and, to a somewhat lesser extent, those aged 30 to 44 is likely driven by a confluence of events, many of which have become more dire since the COVID-19 pandemic," Gallup said. "Chief among these factors is the rise of clinical depression and loneliness (which has been particularly acute among younger men)."
Why Boomers Are Fine
Gallup's explanation for older Americans comes down mostly to money and stress. The pollster said improvements in financial wellbeing since 2019 are "a substantial part of the explanation." It noted that median household net worth among baby boomers has hit record highs.
Gallup also said older Americans are likely shielded from many of the pressures weighing on working-age adults, including affordable housing, basic household costs, career instability, job market anxiety and health insurance costs.
So one generation is dealing with rent, the job market and loneliness. The other, by Gallup's account, has record net worth and fewer of those worries. The gap in the numbers isn't much of a mystery.
Photo: Omar Prestwich / Wikimedia Commons (CC0)
