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A new poll finds that a plurality of Gen Z would hop in a time machine and leave their life behind as many young people grow disillusioned with modern technology and increasingly pessimistic about their economic futures.<\/p>\n
If given the option, nearly half (47%) of 18-29-year-olds said they\u2019d choose to live in the past, according to an NBC News Decision Desk Poll<\/a>. One in three surveyed said they\u2019d pick a time period less than 50 years ago, while another 14% would choose more than 50 years in the past. Only 38% of young people said they\u2019d prefer to live in the present.<\/p>\n Members of this generation, born in 1997 or later, yearn for an era \u201cright before social media and computers mediated life,\u201d Clay Routledge, a nostalgia researcher and existential psychologist, said in an interview with NBC News<\/a>.<\/p>\n Ben Isaacs, a 20-year-old Colorado student, said he\u2019d choose to live in the 1990s, arguing smartphones are eroding young people\u2019s ability to connect face-to-face and live beyond \u201cthe realm of the phone,\u201d according to NBC.<\/p>\n The survey captures Gen Z\u2019s deepening dissatisfaction with the country\u2019s trajectory, social cohesion, and their financial futures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n A whopping 80% of Gen Z\u2014more than any other generation\u2014said the United States is headed in the wrong direction, according to the NBC poll, and 62% expect their lives will be worse than those of previous generations.<\/p>\n Plus, a majority rated the economy\u2014especially inflation and the cost of living\u2014as their top political concerns.<\/p>\n Artificial intelligence, which is transforming the higher education landscape and entry-level job market, is adding to the uncertainty and economic anxiety. One in six college students<\/a> has changed their major because of AI, and 48% of Gen Z workers<\/a> now say its negatives outweigh its benefits\u2014an 11-point increase from 2025, according to a recent Gallup poll.<\/p>\n Unemployment among recent college graduates has risen since the pandemic, reaching 5.6% at the end of 2025 and extending well beyond the humanities, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.<\/a> Computer engineering now has one of the highest unemployment rates<\/a> among college majors at 7.8%, a sharp reversal from 2021, when it ranked among the lowest at 3.2%.<\/p>\n Economic, cultural, and political turbulence is helping drive a cultural shift among some young people, especially men. Another Gallup poll released this month indicates that young men have become more religious in recent years.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n