Americans Are More Pessimistic About The Future Than They Were 12 Years Ago

BreakingBusinessAmericans Are More Pessimistic About The Future Than They Were 12 Years AgoByMary Whitfill Roeloffs,Forbes Staff. Mary Roeloffs is a Forbes breaking news reporter covering pop culture.Follow AuthorMay 15, 2026, 11:12am EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.ToplineMost Americans are more pessimistic than ever about the future and think the country’s best years are behind them, new poll data shows, but Republicans are more optimistic about the future now than they were when Barack Obama was president. The U.S. Capitol building on April 20, 2026.Getty ImagesKey FactsPew Research data released Friday shows most Americans (59%) think the country's best years are behind them and only 40% think its best years are ahead. A majority of people in almost every racial, economic and political demographic said they feel America's best years are in the past with one exception—upper income respondents were split 50-50 on the question.Black people, Hispanic people and Democrats were the most likely to report they think the country's best years are behind it, but a majority of Republicans, white and Asian people responded the same (just by a less dramatic margin). Pew asked the same questions back in 2014, when Democratic politicians held the White House and the Senate, and found Democrats were more optimistic about the country’s future then than they are now, but Republicans are significantly more optimistic now. Americans are, in general, more pessimistic (44%) than optimistic (28%) when asked to think about what the U.S. will be like 50 years from now and have become more pessimistic since 2014. if (!window.cnxel) { window.cnxel = {}; window.cnxel.cmd = []; var iframe = document.createElement('iframe'); iframe.style.display = 'none'; iframe.onload = function() { var iframeDoc = iframe.contentWindow.document; var script = iframeDoc.createElement('script'); script.src =...