It sounds almost counter-intuitive, considering headlines on everything from student loan debt to low-paying jobs, but young people across the world—particularly those in lower- and middle-income countries—are actually more optimistic than their elders.

So says the Goalkeepers Global Youth Poll from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Ipsos Public Affairs. The poll, which asked adults and young people in 15 countries about their outlook on their personal lives, challenges for their communities, and the direction of their countries, chose countries in each income range based on World Bank rankings.

Higher-income countries chosen for the poll were Australia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Sweden, the U.S. and Saudi Arabia, while lower- and middle-income countries were Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria and Russia.

Young people (ages 12–24) in the latter group of countries are the most optimistic group across all measures, says the report, and are not only more likely to believe they can affect the way their countries are governed but also (at 63 percent) that their generation will have a more positive impact on the world than their parents' generation. Interestingly, only 39 percent of young people in higher-income countries agree with that last statement, although in both groups of countries young people were more likely to agree than their elders.

When it comes to the future of the world, 79 percent of young people in lower- and middle-income countries are optimistic, while just half of those in higher-income countries say they are.

The report also polled each age group on which of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals) their leaders should focus on. They ranked: ending poverty (33 percent), improving education (31 percent), and accessing jobs (27 percent).

But priorities change depending on country group, with lower- and middle-income countries putting improving education (41 percent), ending poverty (37 percent) and accessing jobs (32 percent) at the top of their list. Higher-income countries, on the other hand, rank ending poverty (29 percent), addressing climate change (24 percent), improving education (21 percent) and ending conflicts (21 percent) at the top.

And in the age of #MeToo, it's probably not surprising that across lower-, middle- and high-income groups of countries, women are more likely than men to agree with the statement: “Life is better for men and boys than women and girls.” The difference is more pronounced, the report points out, in higher-income countries, where 49 percent of women agreed, compared with 37 percent of men. In lower- and medium-income countries, 45 percent of women agreed, compared with 43 percent of men.

While the “stunning progress” in fighting poverty and disease “is being felt in in lower- and middle-income countries,” and since 2000, the number of people living in extreme poverty has declined by more than 1 billion, the report adds that “rapid population growth in the poorest countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, is putting future progress at risk.” A critical driver of productivity and innovation, it adds will be the investment in young people, especially in their health and education.

Read more about the next generations' outlook:

Instant Insights /

Today's youth are actually more optimistic than their elders

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