Gen Z’s Pessimism and the Desire to Live in the Past
Some members of Generation Z are feeling increasingly pessimistic about the future of the country and modern technology, leading them to express a desire to travel back in time. A recent NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey revealed that nearly half (47%) of adults aged 18-29 said they would choose to live in the past if given the option. One-third of this group said they would prefer a time period less than 50 years in the past, while another 14% chose more than 50 years in the past.
In contrast, 38% of Gen Zers said they would prefer to live in the present, with 10% opting for a time less than 50 years in the future and 5% choosing more than 50 years in the future. The poll results were largely consistent across gender lines and partisan divides, though young Black adults were less likely to express a preference for living in the past (33%) compared to young white adults (52%) or young Hispanic adults (47%).
The broader sentiment reflects a negative outlook many young Americans feel about their future prospects and the state of the country. The poll found that 62% of Gen Z respondents believed life would be worse for them compared to previous generations, while only 25% thought it would be better and 13% expected it to be about the same. Additionally, 80% of Gen Z adults said the United States is on the wrong track, the highest share of any age group in the survey.
Modern Technology Shapes Gen Z’s Outlook
The desire to live in the recent past is part of a growing trend among young adults who are drawn to the culture, fashion, and technology of the 1980s, ’90s, and early 2000s. This is evident in the resurgence of claw clips, baggy jeans, and strappy tops among young women, as well as the flourishing markets for cassette tapes, iPods, and social media obsessions with ’90s figures like John F. Kennedy Jr. and Carolyn Bessette.
According to nostalgia researcher and existential psychologist Clay Routledge, some members of Gen Z, born in 1997 or later, wish to live in an era “right before social media and computers mediated life.” He explained that while there are advantages to societal progress, there is also a sense of comfort in returning to a time when technology was not so deeply embedded in daily life.
Personal Perspectives on the Past
Ben Isaacs, a 20-year-old student from Colorado, chose “less than 50 years in the past” as the time he would prefer to live in. He specifically pointed to the 1990s as a period with “a lack of phones, more personal experience, but also still some of the ease of modern technology.” Isaacs believes that smartphones draw away from people’s ability to engage in face-to-face conversations and exist outside of the digital realm.
Skyler Barnett, a 28-year-old construction worker in Missouri, also cited the internet and smartphones as reasons for not choosing the present as his ideal time. He described the current internet landscape as filled with “so much bullcrap” and noted that younger generations are often overwhelmed by irrelevant information.
Seeking Comfort and Community in the Past
Routledge explained that some of Gen Z’s interest in the recent past can be attributed to cultural nostalgia. When there are disruptions such as political divisiveness or concerns about AI and other societal changes, people tend to become more nostalgic for the past to cope with their worries. Looking back at the 1990s offers Gen Z a version of the world before everyone was tied to the internet, which can be both attractive and comforting.
“If there’s this fear that it’s going in a direction that’s unhealthy or that they can’t control or they don’t understand, then you could imagine it being like, ‘Well, instead of jumping in that hypothetical future… I’d rather take the time machine to the time before it got to that place,’” Routledge said. “It’s almost a little bit like a reboot.”
Routledge also noted that an increasing number of Gen Z individuals have started to recognize the detrimental mental and cultural effects of modern technology and are taking more agency in developing a healthier relationship with it. “They’re the ones driving many of these consumer retro trends that aren’t throwing the smartphones away, but they’re saying the smartphones can’t, shouldn’t control us,” he added.
Balancing the Past and Future
Alex Abernathy, a 25-year-old part-time student in Michigan, expressed her preference for the iPod era, believing that technology should be designed for one purpose at a time. While she prefers to live in a time period less than 50 years into the future, she is excited about the potential for more social and political progress. Abernathy emphasized the importance of offline communities and reducing reliance on smartphones.
“I use social media as a way to find other people and find events and find community,” she said. “I think that community—showing up for each other when we’re tired or when the other person doesn’t have the energy or the resources… I think that’s going to be the biggest part moving forward.”
Abernathy also shared her experience of connecting with a 67-year-old woman at a political protest who shared similar values and interests. She noted that people often assume older generations don’t care, but she has found that many individuals across different age groups and backgrounds share similar views.
Methodology
The NBC News Decision Desk Poll powered by SurveyMonkey surveyed 32,433 adults, including 3,009 adults ages 18-29, online from March 30 to April 13. The full sample of all adults has a margin of error of plus or minus 1.8 percentage points. The subgroup of adults ages 18-29 (Gen Z) has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.4 percentage points.
