A new Pew Research Center Survey suggests that The Trends Journal has its finger on the pulse of the American public that sees economic storm clouds on the horizon and the country’s best days in the rearview mirror. 

The survey found that most Americans are not feeling optimistic about the future and see a country in decline in the next 25 years. 

The survey, which was conducted from 27 March to 2 April, asked participants about how they think the U.S. economy will be in 2050, and 66 percent said they believe the economy will be weaker. Just 32 percent said they think the economy will gain strength.

The survey participants also think the gap between the rich and poor will only increase. The survey found 81 percent see the gap widening, while 18 percent believe the plantation workers of Slavelandia will close the gap on the wealthy.

About 71 percent of those polled also said they believe the U.S. will be “less important in the world,” compared to 27 percent who think the country will be more important in the world. 

Indeed, 58 percent of those polled said they believe life for people like them is worse today than it was 50 years ago. Just 23 percent of those polled said they believe they’re better off today than they would have been five decades ago.

White adults were most likely to say life is worse today for people like them than 50 years ago (63 percent vs. 20 percent).

About 77 percent also said the country will likely be more politically divided than it is today while just 21 percent said there will be fewer political divisions. 

Still, most agree that the country is headed in the wrong direction. Just 19 percent of those polled said they believe the country is headed in the right direction and 80 percent said they are unhappy with its trajectory. 

TRENDPOST: As we have forecast, the 20th century was the American century—the 21st century will be the Chinese century. The business of China is business; the business of America is war. (See “TOP TRENDS 2021: THE RISE OF CHINA” 23 Feb 2021.)

We have long reported that while the Bigs get BIGGER on Wall Street and Silicon Valley, the average American has struggled under the weight of inflation, soaring interest rates that increase credit card payments, and soaring rents…while stuck in dead-end jobs. (See “HALF OF NEW YORK CITY HOUSEHOLDS UNABLE TO AFFORD TO LIVE THERE” 2 May 2023, “TOP TREND 2022, DRAGFLATION: U.S. ECONOMY GROWS AT A SLUGGISH 1.1 PERCENT IN FIRST QUARTER” 2 May 2023, and “COVID LOCKDOWNS, NOT THE ‘PANDEMIC’ RUINED LIFE ON EARTH” 4 Apr 2023.)

Gerald Celente has said Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be elected president in 2024 without a wildcard turning the election on its head. 

The Pew poll seemed to support Celente’s forecast.

And the younger population is more pessimistic about the future than older generations, according to the survey. About 2/3 of those 50 and older have confidence in the U.S.’s future, compared to just 53 percent of those 18 to 34.