A recent Gallup poll released on Tuesday shows that American optimism for the future has hit a new low in 2025.
The survey indicates that only 59.2% of American adults believe they will live a high-quality life in the next five years, marking the lowest percentage since Gallup started asking this question nearly two decades ago. This represents a drop of 9.1 points since 2020, translating to about 24.5 million fewer people feeling hopeful compared to that year.
Most of this decline occurred between 2021 and 2023, but the specific ratings for future life dropped by another 3.5 points from 2024 to 2025. By the end of 2025, just 48.0% of Americans rated both their current and anticipated future lives as “rich,” down over 11 points from a high of 59.2% in June 2021. Additionally, optimism declined across all major political groups by roughly 5 points between 2021 and 2024.
While the poll didn’t delve into why respondents felt this way, Dan Witters, a research director at Gallup, noted that the decline in optimism seemed to begin with the high inflation rates during 2021-2022 under President Biden. Witters mentioned that affordability issues still linger, despite the pandemic easing somewhat.
E.J. Antoni, chief economist at the Heritage Foundation, pointed out several troubling economic indicators, like rising inflation and the housing market stagnation, that have worsened consumer sentiment since COVID-19. He remarked that the political climate has also muddied perceptions, especially among Democratic respondents who may view their economic circumstances negatively due to former President Trump’s image.
In terms of expectations, Democratic respondents experienced the largest decline from 2021 to 2025, with nearly a 13-point drop in those anticipating a “rich” life in the next five years. Interestingly, this metric fell almost 8 points right when Trump commenced his second term as president.
On the other hand, Republicans saw a 4-point dip in the same time span, while independents decreased by 6.5 points. It’s clear that anxiety about the country’s economic outlook is growing among many Americans.
An index from the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) regarding small business optimism also fell slightly in January, with owners showing increased uncertainty about the economy’s trajectory. However, a separate Gallup poll from earlier suggests that a greater number of Americans expect economic growth in the next six months rather than a downturn.
This particular poll is part of Gallup’s National Health and Welfare Index, reflecting data from 22,125 interviews with U.S. adults throughout various quarterly measurement periods.
