Pessimism about the future is growing in many parts of the world. A global survey of nearly 34,000 people across 28 countries found that only about a third believe the next generation will be better off than people are today. In some countries, optimism has nearly disappeared. Just 6% of people in France and 8% in Germany expect the next generation to be better off.
Though we are not as pessimistic as France or Germany, things aren’t looking great in our country. Only 21% of Americans believe the next generation will be better off, down 9 points from the year before.
Our work at the Human Flourishing Lab also documents a pessimism problem. Across a number of surveys, we have found that only around half of Americans are hopeful about the future of the country, and even fewer are hopeful about human progress. At the same time, it is worth noting that we have found most Americans are hopeful about their own lives, grateful for the progress made by previous generations, and believe our nation still has an important role to play in solving global challenges.
In this newsletter, I regularly discuss the importance of a positive, future-oriented mindset. Optimism is the expectation that good things will happen, and hope adds the belief that we can help make them happen. The two often work together to build a positive outlook on the future. And this outlook is not just a pleasant feeling. Research finds that it promotes social trust, creativity, and motivation to work on solving problems. In other words, building a better future starts with believing it is possible and that we have the power to help make it happen.
A big part of the problem is that we have a distorted picture of our fellow humans. The global survey I mentioned earlier, the Edelman Trust Barometer, found that 7 in 10 people are unwilling or hesitant to trust someone who sees the world differently than they do. As discussed in a previous newsletter, research consistently shows that we overestimate how selfish and dishonest others are and underestimate how kind and helpful they will be.
We also overestimate how many people behave badly online. In another newsletter, I discussed research showing that Americans believe a much larger share of people post harmful content online than actually do.
When I write about these issues, I usually focus on what each of us can do as individuals to push back against this distorted picture of humanity. For instance, in this newsletter, I offered three ways to resist declinism, which is the belief that things were better in the past and will keep getting worse in the future.
But organizations also play an important role in informing how we see the world and each other. This includes brands, which have a big impact on culture. They reach people every day through advertising, products, stores, and social media. And the Edelman survey found that people around the world trust business more than government, the media, or nonprofits. That means brands may be distinctly positioned to tell more positive (and more accurate) stories about humanity that can help inspire broader trust, optimism, and hope.
There is a real hunger for these kinds of stories. Americans are growing tired of the constant stream of fear and outrage in our information ecosystem. Younger generations report the highest levels of distress, distrust, and pessimism, yet they are also leading the search for something better. As I discussed in numerous previous newsletters and in essays for The New York Times and Big Think, many young people are stepping back from the digital platforms that traffic in doom and gloom and are looking for more real-world connection.
When brands help tell a more accurate and positive story about people, everyone wins. It is good for society, and it is also good for business. Cynicism makes consumers more guarded and less willing to try new things. A more trusting, optimistic, and energized culture is a better environment for brands to grow.
This is why I was excited to partner with ONE Strategy Studio, a Radius company, on a new brief titled Perception Creates Reality: Winning With Optimism. I wrote the foreword and advised the team on behavioral science research used in the brief.
The brief highlights the gap between how kind people actually are to each other and how much we trust each other. This matters because expectations influence behavior. If we expect a stranger to be unfriendly, we are less likely to start a conversation. If we expect people to be selfish, we are less likely to trust them. When enough people lower their expectations at the same time, our cynicism about each other can become self-fulfilling.
The brief offers several ideas for how brands can use their influence to help people see each other more accurately, without preaching or taking on a big social cause. You can read the full brief here. Even if you don’t work for a major brand or in marketing, I think you will find it offers useful insights into how the stories we tell inform what we believe about each other and how we engage with the world around us.
The good news is that most people are better than we think. Brands can help remind us of that.
Have a great weekend!
Clay