Survey Finds Over 80 Percent of Young U.S. Adults View Economy as Bad or Terrible

The same survey discovered that 81 percent of Americans between the ages of 25 and 29 believe that economic conditions in the U.S. are either bad or terrible. As for those in the 25-29 age range, 52 percent of 266 such respondents said the economy was bad.

About 3 in 10 respondents said it was terrible, for a combined percentage of 81 percent that view the economy negatively. A separate Intuit Credit Karma/Harris Poll study found that 78 percent of American adults of all ages do not feel financially secure.

Nearly three-quarters, or 72 percent, said their current financial standing makes them feel they will never have enough money to achieve the American dream.

Foreclosure filings have increased in recent months. The Wall Street Journal reported that data from Attom shows the number of U.S. properties with a foreclosure filing reached nearly 119,000 in the first quarter, an increase of 26 percent from the same period last year.

That figure is the highest since the first quarter of 2020. Housing affordability has declined over decades. Many young adults have given up on homeownership as costs have risen sharply compared with earlier generations who purchased homes 20 or 30 years ago.

The average price of a gallon of gasoline in California has reached $6.114, according to AAA data. Some residents of Los Angeles are paying more than eight dollars a gallon. Wingstop, a chicken-wing chain, said higher fuel prices contributed to an 8.7 percent decline in quarterly same-store sales.

The chain’s CEO, Michael Skipworth, said it was extremely difficult for anyone to predict this macro environment and that the company expects shrinking sales over this year in part because of expectations that gas prices will remain high.

Homelessness has reached record levels in many cities while street violence and open drug use have become more common. In Los Angeles, Spencer Pratt shared a video on X showing homeless camps, individuals appearing to be unconscious on sidewalks, and scenes of drug abuse.

Pratt referred to an estimated 70,000 drug addicts on the streets. In Seattle, one McDonald’s location has been nicknamed McStabby’s because of frequent violence outside the restaurant, which now bans customers from entering. Two men were recorded beating a 77-year-old man outside the location on April 19.

Separately, a 33-year-old man, George Miller, was struck in the head with a hammer more than a dozen times in an unprovoked attack and remains in critical condition.