Under Donald Trump, American optimism about life five years from now has dropped to its lowest level since Gallup began tracking it nearly two decades ago. Fewer adults now say they expect to have a “high-quality life” in the future, according to Gallup’s National Health and Well-Being Index.
Gallup reported that 59.2% of U.S. adults in 2025 rated their expected life in five years at 8 or higher on a 10-point scale. This is the standard Gallup uses for a high future life evaluation. That figure fell by 3.5 points from 2024 and decreased by 9.1 points from 2020, when future expectations peaked during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think that’s disconcerting and says a lot about the mood of the American public today,” said Dan Witters, research director for the index, in comments shared with the findings.
The new data indicates that the outlook for the future has worsened faster than ratings for current life. The Associated Press reported that while Americans’ views of their current lives have slipped over the last decade, expectations about the future have dropped at nearly double the pace. This breaks a long-standing pattern where present and future views typically moved together.
Gallup’s index also tracks the share of adults classified as “thriving,” which measures both current and future ratings. Gallup considers respondents thriving when they rate their current life at 7 or higher and their expected life in five years at 8 or higher. The AP reported that 48% met this standard in 2025, leaving fewer than half in the thriving category.
‼️‼️ TRUMP’S NUMBERS ON ECONOMY TANKING
– Net approval on jobs: down 22 pts from last year. Down 37 with independents.
– 52% of Americans see job market as “bad”
– 50% believe unemployment will go up in next 6 months—highest since Great Recession. pic.twitter.com/Us53RKf8A7
— Maine (@TheMaineWonk) February 10, 2026
The trend shows sharp differences by political party and demographic group. The AP reported that Democrats’ future optimism dropped from 65% to 57% after the change from President Joe Biden to Trump’s second term. Republicans’ outlook improved but not enough to offset the decline among Democrats. Gallup also noted that Hispanic adults experienced one of the biggest declines, falling from 69% to 63% in expectations for a high-quality life five years out.
Gallup linked the decline to years of economic stress following the pandemic, including rising prices and ongoing affordability pressures, as well as unstable politics. The AP mentioned that Gallup’s researchers also observed that the national mood has bounced back from past lows, including during the Great Recession. However, the latest shift marks a significant retreat in future expectations compared to recent years.
This downturn in outlook occurs as Trump enters his second year back in office. Separate approval tracking cited by Newsweek noted that Trump’s net approval rating remained negative in early February. The share of Americans who strongly disapprove reached a new high in the Silver Bulletin average.
Gallup gathered the 2025 data from over 22,000 respondents by using life evaluation questions that ask adults to rate their current lives and where they expect to be in five years. The company noted that the decline since 2020 means tens of millions fewer Americans now expect a high-quality life compared to that earlier peak.
