The new pessimism: how COVID-19 has made young people lose faith in their own agency

Young people, especially those about to start university or get a job, have a gloomy and newly pessimistic outlook on the future. This is not consistent with research from pre-COVID-19 times, which usually finds young people optimistic about their own futures. Drawing on qualitative research with young people before the outbreak and throughout lockdown, Christine Huebner and Dena Arya (Nottingham Trent University) explain where this new pessimism comes from and how it relates to uncertainty, worries, and a perceived loss of agency among young people.