by Kevin Coupe
• Axios reports that "just 42% of U.S. adults think today's youth will have a better life than their parents - an 18-point drop since June 2019 and the lowest since 2011," new Gallup polling data suggests.
• Axios also reports on a new Harvard study saying that "loneliness in America is widespread — and it's a public health problem … More than 1 in 3 Americans are lonely … That rises to 61% when looking at younger people, and 51% among mothers with young kids."
The story goes on to point out that "one analysis likens the negative health effects of loneliness to smoking 15 cigarettes a day … The pandemic spotlighted — and worsened — loneliness in America. It hit older adults who had to isolate themselves to protect their health, kids who stayed home from school and young professionals who moved back home to live with parents.
"But even the most connected people, with seemingly robust social lives and networks, can be quite lonely. It's more about the quality of our relationships, experts say."
I mention these two Eye-Opening trends for a simple reason - these people, who are concerned about the next generation's ability to thrive, and who are lonely to an almost epidemic degree, are the industry's customers and employees. And therefore, the industry needs to be cognizant of these trends.
