Introducing Progress Pulse: How Americans See the Future

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I'm excited to introduce Progress Pulse, a new research initiative from our team at Archbridge Institute's Human Flourishing Lab. There is a growing interest in understanding the drivers of human progress, in the hope of continuing and accelerating it. Most advocates of progress focus on the scientific, technological, economic, and policy factors that improve the world. With Progress Pulse, we're focusing on better understanding people's attitudes about progress. 

If you're a regular reader of Flourishing Friday, you know that I think psychological factors play a crucial role in advancing progress. Take hope, for instance. Far from mere wishful thinking, hope has real motivational power. When we have a hopeful mindset about positive change, we're more likely to take action to create it. Being hopeful about the future isn't about denying problems—it's about believing in our capacity to address them. We can simultaneously acknowledge serious challenges while maintaining faith in our ability to overcome them. 

For our inaugural edition of Progress Pulse, we tackled a simple but important question: Do Americans believe we will overcome our greatest challenges and create a better world for future generations? Or do they see us failing to make meaningful progress, leaving future generations worse off? 

Working with The Harris Poll, we surveyed over 2,000 U.S. adults and found Americans nearly evenly divided in their outlook: 52% believe that humans will make significant progress on big societal and global challenges in the coming decades and life will be better for future generations, while 48% believe we will fail to make progress and life will be worse.

Diving deeper into the data reveals fascinating patterns. A clear generational divide emerges: young adults are the most pessimistic about the future, while older Americans express the most optimism. Among 18-34 year olds, 47% believe the future will be better, while among those 65 and older, this rises to 60%.

The generational divide in views about progress reveals a fascinating pattern when gender is considered. Generally speaking, men tend to be more optimistic about future progress than women, with 56% of men believing the world will get better compared to 48% of women. But what's particularly interesting is how the age gap differs by gender. It is far more pronounced among women than men (see figure below). 

Attitudes about Human Progress among Men and Women in Different Age Groups

Political affiliation also plays a significant role. Democrats emerge as the most optimistic, with 61% believing in a better future, compared to 43% of Republicans and 51% of Independents.

Education is associated with differences in outlook about the future. College graduates are more optimistic, with 57% believing in a better future, compared to 49% of those with a high school diploma or some college. Income, however, shows no real relationship with views about progress—across all income categories, Americans are pretty evenly divided between positive and negative outlooks on the future.

Progress Pulse is part of a broader endeavor exploring the psychology of progress. At their core, all the factors that drive progress—whether scientific discoveries, technological innovations, economic developments, or policy reforms—emerge from human minds and the organizations, institutions, and cultures they create. Understanding how people think about and approach the future is therefore fundamental. By developing this understanding, we can create more effective strategies for public outreach and education, inform policymakers, and contribute to more nuanced dialogue advancing human progress.

Through Progress Pulse, we aim to shine a light on the crucial role of human psychology in shaping the future. This first survey is just the beginning of our exploration into the attitudes, knowledge, and motivations that drive progress. Stay tuned for more insights as we continue to delve deeper into the psychology of progress and its implications for building a better future.

Have a great weekend!

Clay