*This is the second post in a series highlighting different groups of metro Atlanta residents and their views on relevant regional topics, based on data from ARC’s Metro Atlanta Speaks Survey data.
It’s a new year filled with new goals and fresh developments. Will the near future bring a new level of positivity or more negativity? How do metro Atlantans feel about the future? Are there differences in perspective across various groups? Let’s dive into the data.
*Before we dive in, it is important to clarify that these aggregate survey responses are only from a sample of metro Atlantans. They do NOT represent any individual person of the age cohorts and generations we are about to discuss. These give us helpful insights for planning and policy, but not any individual assessments.
In general, younger populations in metro Atlanta express more optimism about the near future compared to older generations, according to the Metro Atlanta Speaks 2024 Survey. The survey reveals a six percentage point difference in positivity, as 31% of individuals aged 18–34 feel optimistic compared to only 25% of those aged 65 and older. Interestingly, while older generations are less optimistic, they are also the least expressly negative—only 28% of those 65+ hold a pessimistic view (i.e. said that “the next 3-4 years will be worse”) of the near future.
This generational divide may be partly explained by the different contexts in which these cohorts grew up. However, shared experiences also are likely to play a role, blending individual generational perspectives with overarching societal trends. One notable group is the Baby Boomers (born 1946–1964, now aged 61–79), historically the largest cohort by population–although Millennials (born 1981–1996) have overtaken Boomers (as of 2019) as the largest living U.S. generation.
Across all generations in metro Atlanta, optimism about life over the next few years has been steadily declining over the past eight years. Historically, younger generations like Gen Z have been relatively more positive than have older generations.
However, in the past year, younger groups have shown an increase in negativity. Gen Z respondents, for example, reported a four percentage point rise in negative sentiment about near-future living conditions, while older generations became more positive across the same period of survey administration.
The most revealing insight might come regarding those with neutral opinions. Across all generations, fewer metro Atlantans report feeling neutral about living conditions in the near future, suggesting a trend toward stronger opinions—whether positive or negative–and that trend really is not all that surprising, is it?
Older generations like Baby Boomers and the Silent Generation remain the most consistently neutral, with their neutral responses hovering around the 45% mark for the past eight years. This does beg the question of what is driving people toward stronger opinions, yet keeping these older generations more neutral?
In summary
- Younger generations in metro Atlanta remain the most optimistic about the region’s near-future living conditions, both currently and historically.
- Compared the 2023 survey, the 2024 iteration saw younger age groups like Gen Z grow more negative, while older age groups became more positive.
- All generations in metro Atlanta are becoming less likely to be neutral (i.e. say that things are likely to stay the same in the near future) and more opinionated about the near future–though the general trend appears less positive and more negative.
- Older generations, including the Silent Generation and Baby Boomers, continue to exhibit the highest levels of neutrality regarding the near future.
Stay tuned for part 2 of this age group analysis of future sentiment in the metro Atlanta region using our ARC Metro Atlanta Speaks 2024 Survey dataset.