Yes.

People have a bias towards pessimism because they want to sound smart. Pessimists get attention. But optimists keep winning - worldwide hunger and extreme poverty is falling and falling. Literacy and access to plumbing&electricity keep rising and rising. At least as seen from decade to decade.

Old wallstreet wisdom: Pessimists sound smart, optimists make money instead.

Wow - China is more optimistic than the US? I wonder how accurate this is. From news reports that I see, hope for the future has plummeted in China.

Check out videos such as China’s Slacker Youths: Why They Went From 'Lying Flat' To 'Let It Rot' - https://yewtu.be/watch?v=GJ7S-nKmAr4. This is apparently a real theme in China.

Here's another one - Despairing ‘Ten No’s Youth’ Emerge, Proclaiming China’s Last Generation’s Resignation to Lying Flat - https://yewtu.be/watch?v=cS2S8gZ9mRA

So, it really makes me wonder about this survey.

Clear trend that people in the west are discouraged about the future, and they should probably should be for all the reasons most are well acquainted with by now.

Overall, I think this becomes a question of time preference. Over the short-term, it is easier to become discouraged. Over the long haul, innovation will continue to find a way (as much as governments try to beat it down) to continue improving the living conditions of the world's population as long as people are willing to do the work.

Absolutely, I have faith in humankind. No matter the obstacle to our pursuit of happiness we have always overcome it. In the dark times it has taken coercion and the suppression of the truth in order to get humans to engage in evil, but when the time comes that humans begin to think with their rational minds they begin to trade value for value and lift each other up by lifting themselves up. Life, and capitalism is not a zero sum game and there will always be plenty for all if we allow ourselves to be the the best version of ourselves.

awesome charts, and interesting to see the divergence between young and old.

i wonder if it’s always been that way or if this trend is more pronounced today than it usually is…

fwiw, i’m optimistic about the future of the world.

Hell no. Why would you ever be?

I wonder if there is a correlation with the fertility rate, ie the more optimistic, the more children tend to have...?

What the... Russians adults are more optimistic than Americans?

From TFA: Youth is 12-15 and Adult is 16+. I suspect that biases this toward null hypothesis because I'm pretty sure the ignorance that best explains optimism extends on into the 20s or 30s.

The french may know something... Adults know what they did to the planet and the debt they leave to the next generations. Youngsters are still learning about it. Children are even more optimistic (in general). The more you live and learn the more pessimistic you get. It makes sense.

Long term yes, short term no

Yes, I’m because Bitcoin will save the world guys!

I wasn't until I learned about bitcoin

If Bitcoin didn't exist - absolutely not.

But, it does, so yes.

Ultimately, yes. Locally, not as much.

Yes!

I think the view of "the world" is quite individual, so it is subject to personal circumstances. Each one has their own view based on their particular situation, so I think it is hard to agree on a common view. The thing we call "the world" is a changing substance.

Almost WW3 and 2030 WEF agenda, so no.

When we look at the rate of depletion of the world's resources, it will be understood how bad the situation is. While production is carried out as if resources are unlimited, there is a similar logic in the consumption part. While some people are struggling with hunger, some are in abundance If everyone understands each other's situation and helps, there is hope. And if we know that resources are limited and act accordingly, if we consume only what we really need, then there is hope. Since none of those are unavailable, it is normal to be pessimistic.

Birth rates are falling in the first world. That is a sign of pessimism

Nope, i'm not.

people in Developing countries tend to be more optimistic about future mostly because things are shaping up for a promising future. Unlike developed countries, they aren't still. They aren't on the cusp of development, but they are moving ahead. Who wants to stay at one place? People in developed countries, however much ahead in terms of development, are standing still and not moving ahead with the same speed as do people from developing countries. There are more opportunities in developing countries which is culminating in more enthusiasm. This enthusiasm, I think, is the predecessor to their optimism.

yes, but that’s just after 2037

Unless people are willing to fight HARD, to secure their inalienable property rights, including bitcoin - things will become pretty bleak. Currently it's impossible to defend real property from the suit mafia, due to their monopoly on violence. And our general cowardice in defending each other from our rulers. (stop drinking the fluoride FFS.) Bitcoin does give us a fighting chance to property.

And because this is Stacker News: Bitcoin WILL also fail if we don't onboard BILLIONS of people to holding their own keys, and also hopefully running a node. Custody solutions will centralize nodes (consensus), and set us on a path to ruin like the current fiat banking system. This will allow them to rehypothicate even bitcoin! Many calculate, in its current form, bitcoin can only support 110million active key holders. This is not going cut it

I don't know if that means CTV/LNHANCE, or some other method still undiscovered. I was previously against CTV as a knee-jerk reaction - but it's looking no more dangerous than the already existing DLC/Discrete Log Contract.

The World is gonna be fine, it's the people that will go away, very soon, if we keep going like that... The world is here for 4 billion years, its gonna be fine...

I feel really good about the future but I seem to be the only one in my friend group that’s hopeful unfortunately.

These polls are easily manipulated with priming. People can be in outright denial about progress.

No!! We humans are fucking retarded. If we don't have the right incentives, we will just fuck everything up.

Long term absolutely, but there will be a lot of pain in the short to medium term, its funny how developing nations see up only, and once we can unlock the rest of the worlds productivity and value man it should be a revolution of note

For the world overall? Sure. For the United States? Not so much.

no lol