A new poll by NBC News reveals a striking trend among young Americans: a significant portion of Generation Z would prefer to live in the past rather than the present, in a context marked by pessimism about the future and growing discomfort with modern technology.
According to the study, 47% of young people between 18 and 29 years old state that, if they could choose, they would opt to live in another era, while only 38% would stay in the present. The rest are divided between those who would prefer the future and those who do not have a clear preference.
A generational malaise with the present
The survey points to a particularly negative perception of the future: 62% of Generation Z believes their life will be worse than that of previous generations, and 80% consider that the United States is on the wrong track.
This climate of uncertainty combines with an ambivalent relationship with technology, especially with hyperconnectivity, social networks, and smartphones, which many young people identify as sources of stress and social disconnection.
Nostalgia for a “less connected” world
The study also reflects a broader cultural phenomenon: the rise of nostalgia for the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s. Part of Generation Z associates those periods with a simpler life, less mediated by digital technology, and with more direct social relationships.
Experts cited in the study explain that this phenomenon intensifies in moments of social or technological instability, when the past is perceived as a more emotionally safe space.
Among the testimonies collected, several young people point out that current technology, far from connecting, can generate isolation and information overload. The constant presence of the mobile phone appears as one of the main factors of rejection of the present.
However, others qualify that it is not an absolute rejection of technology, but rather the search for a more balanced and less invasive use.