High school students’ optimism pertaining to future life outcomes, such as having a career they enjoy, owning a home, and having a better life than their parents had, might be influenced negatively by recent events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Using data from a sample of current high school students, a study from ACT examines students’ perspectives on their futures while considering family income and race/ethnicity, two factors known to be related to adolescents’ outlooks on success in life.
Survey respondents had a mostly positive outlook on their future outcomes despite pandemic-related challenges. More than 80 percent of students reported high levels of optimism that their lives would turn out well overall, with an average rating across the outcomes of 4.01 on a five-point scale.