Historical Progress Unites, Guides, and Inspires a Grateful America
In previous newsletters, I discussed ways in which Americans are divided in their expectations for the future, both in their general views about the overall quality of life for future generations and their specific views about how technologies such as artificial intelligence will impact humanity. It turns out that, according to our latest survey at the Human Flourishing Lab, Americans are far less divided in their appreciation of historical progress and its foundational role in both navigating current difficulties and shaping future advancement. These are findings worth celebrating!
Last month, in this newsletter I shared results from the Human Flourishing Lab's Progress Pulse survey showing that Americans who believe life has gotten better over the last 50 years are far more likely to expect continued improvement over the next 50 years compared to those who don't perceive life as better today than in previous decades. In our latest survey, we wanted to build upon that finding by more directly exploring how Americans feel about past efforts and accomplishments that advanced progress, improving the quality of life today. Are Americans grateful for progress? Do stories of past achievements give them reason to believe we can solve today's challenges? Do they think historical progress offers guidance for efforts to improve the world of tomorrow? Do the efforts of past generations inspire them to make their own contributions that will benefit future generations?
In this nationally representative survey of over 2,000 US adults, we found that roughly nine out of ten Americans (89%) feel grateful for the efforts and accomplishments of past generations that contributed to today's quality of life. Similar numbers report that historical stories about progress provide reason to believe we can overcome today's biggest challenges to build a better future (86%) and that studying historical progress can provide valuable guidance for building a better future (89%). In addition, most Americans (83%) indicate that thinking about the efforts and accomplishments of previous generations that contributed to today's quality of life inspires them to make contributions that will benefit future generations.
Importantly, this gratitude for historical progress and beliefs about its foundational role in continued progress are widespread across gender, age, education, income, and political categories. We did observe some differences across these groups. For example, while 75% of adults under 25 expressed such appreciation, this sentiment increased markedly with age, with over 85% of respondents in all other age cohorts expressing gratitude, culminating in rates exceeding 90% among those 45 and older.
I think it is crucial to emphasize, especially right now when there is so much uncertainty, anxiety, and pessimism about the future, as well as high levels of polarization and distrust in institutions, that our research reveals a remarkable point of consensus. At least three-quarters of Americans in every demographic group we examined share four key attitudes that positively contribute to a progress mindset: gratitude for historical progress, belief that it provides reason to expect future progress, recognition of its value as a guide, and personal inspiration to contribute to progress themselves. Americans may be deeply divided in their general outlook on the future and numerous other beliefs, but they demonstrate striking unity in their appreciation for the value of historical progress
It is easy to become fixated on negative news and to ruminate about what we think is going wrong in our world. Of course we shouldn't ignore or downplay real problems simply to avoid being bummed out. As I discussed in a previous newsletter, negative psychological states have an important role to play in improving our lives. Our dissatisfaction with the status quo provides useful information for making attitudinal, behavioral, and goal-related changes to improve our lives. However, if we are constantly focused on the negative and fail to identify and appreciate the positive stories, trends, and historical advances that offer hope, guidance, and inspiration, we will be less likely to productively respond to our dissatisfactions and make the kinds of changes that lead to a better future.
That so many Americans feel gratitude for historical progress and believe it offers evidence, guidance, and inspiration for addressing today's challenges and improving the world of tomorrow suggests a potential pathway for countering the growing pessimism about the future. These findings could inform strategies that help orient people toward more constructive thinking about present-day problems and future possibilities. Perhaps when our thoughts and discussions about the future are dominated by themes of decline and despair, we should look to the past for both guidance and reassurance. History shows us not only how problems were solved, but that they were solved through the remarkable ingenuity, determination, and resilience of human beings. This shared heritage of progress may be one of our most valuable resources for building tomorrow's solutions.
Have a great weekend!
Clay