Poll finds when was the greatest time to be American - Gen X and Elder Millennials rejoice!
According to the YouGov survey, the highest-ranked decades for overall quality of life in the U.S. were during the 1980s and the 1990s.
The poll broke up U.S. history into 16 periods — beginning way back during the British colonial era in the 1600s — and asked its 1,139 respondents to rank the periods from best time to be alive to the worst.
The survey found that 57 percent of respondents said the Reagan Era (1980-1991) was excellent or good in terms of quality of life, and thus it was viewed as the best time to be alive. The second best was the Clinton Era (1993-2001), with 55 percent of respondents saying that time was excellent or good.
The third spot went to the Postwar Baby Boom era of 1946-1964, with a 51 percent rating.
Just in case you aren't seeing the pattern: the largest population groups in the U.S. pick the eras that represent their childhoods — times when they had less to worry about and the world seemed more hopeful and less miserable — as their personal best times to be alive.
Millennials are currently the largest age demographic in the U.S. — especially if Gen X is lumped in with their younger counterparts — and span both the Reagan and Clinton years. Baby Boomers are the second largest.
Outside of the childhood eras of both of the largest generational groups in the U.S., the other 13 eras on the list received less than a 50 percent favorability rating.
Only 46 percent thought the Counterculture Era of the 1960s was the best time to be alive, and only 40 percent of respondents thought the Post-9/11 Era of 2001-2008 was the best time to be alive.
The Great Depression was near the very bottom of the list, with only 17 percent of respondents saying it was an excellent or good time to be alive, and the Civil War period of 1861-1865 came dead last, with only five percent of respondents giving it a good or excellent rating.
Some of the other eras included the Gilded Age from the 1870s to 1900, the Reconstruction Era from 1865 to 1877, World War II, and the Great Recession.
The present day also rated well when compared to the worst-rated ages in U.S. history. Thirty-two percent of respondents said living today was excellent or good, and another 29 percent said it was "fair" to be alive today.
Once the poll's respondents are broken down by party affiliation, it's fairly unsurprising how things shake out. Democrats ranked the Clinton Era the highest, with 75 percent saying it was good or excellent with only 41 percent of Republican respondents sharing that view.
Likewise, 82 percent of Republicans said the Reagan Era was excellent or good, and only 35 percent of Democrats agreed.
Democrats and Republicans had shared feelings about the Great Depression, with only three percent on each side saying it was a good or excellent time to be alive, and they were close on the Counterculture Era, with 44 percent of Democrats saying it was a good or excellent time, and 49 percent of Republicans sharing that sentiment.
Respondents were also asked to rank the eras based on their political stability. In that ranking, the Reagan Era again won out — despite much of it playing out during the Cold War and U.S. clandestine action throughout the global south — with 18 percent saying it was the most politically stable time. The Clinton Era came in second, with 14 percent saying it was the most politically stable time in the nation's history.
Thirty-one percent said the least politically stable time in U.S. history is the present, even somehow beating out the Civil War period when Americans were killing each other in pitched battles with cannons.
The survey has a four-point margin of error and was conducted between April 9 - 11, 2025. Respondents were selected from YouGov's 'opt-in panel.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business Insider
RIP cool millennial brands
Janel Strachan, a 31-year-old New Yorker, loved her Midea air conditioner. Strachan's techie boyfriend recommended the model, and she soon became a devotee. She liked its convenient, apartment-oriented features. She could easily use an app to turn it on, and its sleek design made it easier for her to see outside. The unit, which first hit the market in 2020, was acclaimed by Wirecutter, the reviews arm of The New York Times, and developed a cult following among a certain type of consumers: Younger adults who like design and quality and have enough disposable income to throw a few hundred dollars at an air AC, and aren't in a situation where they can afford or finesse a home or apartment with central air. When her parents came to visit her apartment, they were blown away. In other words, Midea is a very millennial brand. It came with a particular air of being in the know, through both word of mouth and the more rarified reader and viewership of high-profile recommenders, and modernizing a not-so-sexy but very necessary appliance. It's an aesthetic that has come to define the generation: Appealing packaging, digital word of mouth in all of the right places, and vaguely purpose-driven (the Midea is also known for its energy efficiency). But a few months ago, Midea owners got majorly in their feels amid a big yikes. Around 1.7 million Midea units were recalled due to the risk of potential mold exposure. For Midea devotees, it was a recall heard around TikTok, X, and, yes, even The New York Times. The bad news even managed to reach my friend, who was traveling on a generally unplugged camping expedition in the Sahara Desert. "To see that it got recalled, it was a big letdown," Strachan says. "Everyone hates when tech doesn't work right." Of course, an air conditioner filled with mold is an extreme example, but the demographic it's tailored toward is having its own consumer reckoning. Glossier is at Sephora; Mideas are having holes drilled in them; their dentists can no longer be replaced with flashy online products. Millennials are waking up to the fact that their beloved, cutting-edge, never-done-before brands are just that — brands. The heady days of pastel-toned websites with quirky ad copy are long gone. What once seemed like a permanent move toward a direct, values-centered relationship with consumers has been exposed as a marketing ploy. The era of the trendy millennial brand is over, and the brands that have settled into just boring old retailers have emerged on top — another signpost that millennials have, just maybe, become old and boring. The rise and fall of the millennial brand The turnover of generationally-associated trends and brands is nothing new. Throughout the decades, companies that become associated with one age group face struggles as they grow. Dhananjay Nayakankuppam, a marketing professor at the University of Iowa who studies branding, gave the example of whiskey: In the 1950s and 1960s, whiskey was the drink of choice, but within 20 to 25 years, a generational shift led to whiskey falling out of favor. Whiskey supplier Brindiamo said that, from 1970 to 1990, bourbon lost almost 50% of its market share. The younger generation started pivoting toward wine and lighter alcohols as a healthier alternative. When it comes to a specific company, he pointed to the car company Buick, which had struggled to shake its stuffy, older reputation — younger consumers saw it as a grandparent car, and eventually the older generations started to question if the brand was even for them anymore. Those are the moments when brands can end up stuck between a rock and a hard place, Nayakankuppam said. If they market themselves as still young and cool, that younger and cooler cohort might look around and see that it's only their grandparents or parents consuming those goods. At the same time, the older audience might worry that the brand is, in fact, not for them anymore. "If you have brands which get too tightly tied to a particular cohort or a generation as that cohort and generation ages, it can leave the brand high and dry," Nayakankuppam said. There are a few things that make a brand quintessentially "millennial." One of the hallmarks of the era was the direct-to-consumer model. Casper made the mattress shopping process into a seamless box at your doorstep. Warby Parker made it so that you could try on trendy tortoise-shell frames at home. SmileDirectClub would fix your smile with invisible aligners — until it abruptly shut down, leaving some customers high and dry but on the hook for bills. When these brands decided to move into brick-and-mortar, they tried to make the shopping experience more interactive or immersive. At clothing brand Reformation's stores, for instance, customers can pick out an outfit "Clueless"-style on a screen, and have items in different sizes and styles magically transport into a dressing room wardrobe. Millennial corridors — trendy downtown areas where shoppers could peruse goods straight from their Instagram ads — began to appear in urban neighborhoods and offered a sleek, fun shopping experience. This wasn't your childhood mall; stores were showrooms, and the products were the art. Beyond remaking the shelves, millennial brands made you feel good about consuming: You weren't just buying cloth slippers or hipster glasses; you were also saving the world. They were packaged in pastel fonts and winky innuendos, showing that you were with the times, or at least in on the ironic joke. In a world where the economic odds were stacked against millennials, these brands reasoned, why not make the essentials have a little bit of fun?. Much like the generation they cater to, these brands have gone through some growing pains. Some were gobbled up by more established companies, others tried to push the limits of their business models and branch out, with varying degrees of success. The least lucky millennial brands shuttered completely or declared bankruptcy, unable to grow beyond their youthful origins and pandemic-fueled booms. Casualties included SmileDirectClub, trendy wine club Winc, cheap consumer staples maker Brandless, and online retailer Now, though, run-of-the-mill big box retail stores are already shuttering thousands of locations, and it seems like the DTC brands in trendy locations are doing the same — no one is immune from the retail headwinds or the perils of the rapid-fire growth that grew out of the zero interest rate era. Part of that might also be chalked up to millennials' own life shifts: After all, many fled their urban lives in the thick of the pandemic and headed to the cheaper and more spacious suburbs. They brought some of their favorite urban brands with them, as suburban retail began to boom. One big marker that has separated the successful millennial brands from the flops has been the use of "integrity" as a brand differentiator. Some companies sold an undistinguished product and relied on cause or purpose as their main distinction. By contrast, others had a "greater good" mentality, but didn't solely rely on that to make them stand out, Kevin McTigue, a marketing professor at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Business, said. McTigue said that the brands that succeed offer more than just that appealing concept of purpose — they actually have a product that people want. He gave the example of wunderkind Warby Parker, where consumers valued the quality of products first, and then the purpose-based mission as a nice differentiator. For all of the millennial posturing around different values and a different world, they're remarkably similar to consumers throughout time: They just want something good. Then, there's the best-case scenario for millennial brands: shedding the higher aspirations (or hokey claims, depending on who you ask) and doubling down on making a good product. Take Glossier, arguably one of the epitomes of the millennial branding era. The makeup company started in 2014 as an outgrowth of founder Emily Weiss's Into The Gloss blog. The brand thrived, even launching a gasp physical location in Manhattan in 2018. But this was the millennial cool version of retail. Going to the store was more than just going out to buy makeup: It was a full experience. In its heyday, I would even drag out-of-town visitors there. Glossier's perfectly pink, just laidback-enough marketing worked its wonders on me, and lots of other devotees: Everyone wanted to be a cool Glossier girl. The store was multiple stories tall and built to be Instagrammed. Instead of just grabbing something off the shelf, the actual product for sale was tucked away and disbursed via workers holding iPads. Over the past seven years, Glossier has had its own ups and downs, but it's settled into a familiar rhythm — one that isn't as sexy as a multi-story, wonderland flagship. Instead, it's a good makeup brand sold at a national, visible retailer, and at its own stores. Now, I get my Glossier at Sephora, and the brand successfully capitalized on newer trends: Its "You" perfume, as Business Insider's Katie Notopoulos writes, saved Glossier from the proverbial millennial dustbin of irrelevance. That original Glossier store quietly closed in 2020, although another flagship rose back up in downtown Manhattan in 2023. "What this is suggesting is that you have a small time window of maybe 10, 15 years where you have to somehow get beyond just being a brand of that generation in some sense," Nayakankuppam said. "You have to become mainstream enough that your appeal goes beyond just that generation." While brands like Midea may have followed the branding rules — clearly, it succeeded at marketing to a specific market segment and sold a lot of air conditioners — the recall of its trendy ACs also points to the larger fact that millennials' sway has shifted in the larger consumer market. No longer is the once trend-setting generation making headlines about the new shoes, glasses, or apparel company it's minted as a cool new darling. Instead, it's now relegated to coronating the next sensible home appliance.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
"It Is A Hard And Expensive Life That Only A Few Can Truly Handle": 13 Things People Only Romanticize Because They've Never Actually Done Them, And I Totally Understand Where They're Coming From
While a certain thing might look glamorous from the outside, it can be a lot of work to do when you're actually in the middle of it. So when we asked the BuzzFeed Community: "What's something people only romanticize because they've never actually done it?" so many people shared their thoughts below. 1."Motherhood! It is a gift I wouldn't trade for the world, but holy shit, no one tells you how all-consuming it is. The anxiety, guilt, exhaustion, and feeling like you lost yourself. I felt bitter for some time that no one told me the ugly parts until I was already in it." —Anonymous, 30, Atlanta Related: 2."Farming. Both Boomers (in the '70s) and Millennials (more recently) seem to have a group of folks who romanticized farming and 'getting back to nature.' Reality is that farming is often back-breaking work from before dawn (not at dawn or after dawn) until dark. The equipment is very expensive, requiring you to buy on credit or lease it, creating never-ending debt, but if you don't do it, you will fall behind and not sell enough. The market for your products can tank, leaving you in even more debt, or a harvest can fail. You have to hire help or have a large enough family who can pitch in. There are a number of zoning rules and health codes that can be hard to meet on an older farm, but newer farms cost too much. No sick days allowed (livestock require care every single day), and vacations are rare (if you can afford them). It is a hard and expensive life that only a few can truly handle." —adrianw440bbeae3 3."Living in a small or smaller town. I can say from personal experience that while the slower pace is nice in comparison to bigger cities, there's not a lot of privacy either. Not to mention driving an hour out of town to get any real errands or shopping done." —Anonymous 4."The most stressed out I ever was at my grocery store job was when I was in management. To be fair, part of that time was during the start of the pandemic, which sucked for most people. But asking for a demotion was the best thing I did for my mental health." —Betherick85 5."Marriage. There is so much hype around marriage, especially for women, beginning when we're little girls. Finding Mr. Right, anticipating the proposal, the engagement, the shower, the parties and festivities leading up to the actual wedding day. Then reality sinks in: finances, kids, in-laws, balancing life and careers… the list goes on. I believe marriage is portrayed in a much more romanticized way than it actually is in reality. And now, with everyone living their lives on social media, the cycle continues. They don't show the hard work, compromise, and maintenance involved, and often, it isn't pretty." —Anonymous, 54, Los Angeles Related: 6."Buying land and putting your own house on it. The whole process to build the house was so awful that I almost didn't want the place by the time it was done." —Anonymous 7."Working in a chocolate shop! It's a nightmare and not at all romantic — and Valentine's Day is the worst! Non-stop chaos from open to close and largely because of chocolate-covered strawberries! The shop gets filthy. There are always a few employees hogging the register, and no one else gets a chance. Employees are judged by their sales, and if they don't sell enough, they could lose their jobs. Management doesn't do a thing about the register hogs. Yeah, very romantic." —Anonymous Related: 8."Moving to Japan. It is not all anime, technology, and 7-Eleven. It is working long hours for low pay and is quite isolating. I managed to get settled, but I know many who fall into depression or leave the country quite quickly. Amazing place for a holiday, but don't expect the same experience if you choose to live here." —Anonymous, 32, Japan 9."Owning a house. It sounds awesome; it's yours. Until you realize all the costs are also yours, and it's actually not yours but the bank's, and you have to pay and arrange everything. New heater, your problem. Leaking roof, you pay. And if you don't pay for repairs, the bank can take the house from you for neglect because it's still theirs." —dietarycharger 10."Yes, business travel. It seems cool and it is for a bit, but when you do it once a month or more, it's absolutely exhausting, and dealing with what feels like never-ending jet lag sucks." —bmoney 11."Being a chef. Romantics would have you believe it's a world of cooking, great food, and top restaurants. Uh no. It's hot, demanding, and exhausting work under people who sometimes have no business being in charge of toilet paper, let alone a restaurant. It's hours and hours on your feet, working all hours, dealing with the public, and a LOT of stress." —Anonymous, 53, Virginia Related: 12."As someone who's been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and severe anxiety, I was to open-hand smack people when they romanticize depression or claim to be depressed when they're just bummed out. Depression is no joke; not feeling excited, inspired, or happy about anything truly sucks. Flat affect sucks." —missmissymaria143 13."Meeting your idol. Thinking they would be just like they are on film and talk shows. Turns out, your idols aren't anything like what you thought they were, and that's hard to take when you used to have such affection for them." —babycapricorn129 What's a thing people only romanticize because they've never actually done it? Tell us what it is and why in the comments or anonymously in the Google Form below: Also in Goodful: Also in Goodful: Also in Goodful: Solve the daily Crossword
Buzz Feed
2 days ago
- Buzz Feed
13 Tough Things People Often Romanticize
While a certain thing might look glamorous from the outside, it can be a lot of work to do when you're actually in the middle of it. So when we asked the BuzzFeed Community: "What's something people only romanticize because they've never actually done it?" so many people shared their thoughts below. "Motherhood! It is a gift I wouldn't trade for the world, but holy shit, no one tells you how all-consuming it is. The anxiety, guilt, exhaustion, and feeling like you lost yourself. I felt bitter for some time that no one told me the ugly parts until I was already in it." —Anonymous, 30, Atlanta "Farming. Both Boomers (in the '70s) and Millennials (more recently) seem to have a group of folks who romanticized farming and 'getting back to nature.' Reality is that farming is often back-breaking work from before dawn (not at dawn or after dawn) until dark. The equipment is very expensive, requiring you to buy on credit or lease it, creating never-ending debt, but if you don't do it, you will fall behind and not sell enough. The market for your products can tank, leaving you in even more debt, or a harvest can fail. You have to hire help or have a large enough family who can pitch in. There are a number of zoning rules and health codes that can be hard to meet on an older farm, but newer farms cost too much. No sick days allowed (livestock require care every single day), and vacations are rare (if you can afford them). It is a hard and expensive life that only a few can truly handle." "Living in a small or smaller town. I can say from personal experience that while the slower pace is nice in comparison to bigger cities, there's not a lot of privacy either. Not to mention driving an hour out of town to get any real errands or shopping done." —Anonymous "The most stressed out I ever was at my grocery store job was when I was in management. To be fair, part of that time was during the start of the pandemic, which sucked for most people. But asking for a demotion was the best thing I did for my mental health." "Marriage. There is so much hype around marriage, especially for women, beginning when we're little girls. Finding Mr. Right, anticipating the proposal, the engagement, the shower, the parties and festivities leading up to the actual wedding day. Then reality sinks in: finances, kids, in-laws, balancing life and careers… the list goes on. I believe marriage is portrayed in a much more romanticized way than it actually is in reality. And now, with everyone living their lives on social media, the cycle continues. They don't show the hard work, compromise, and maintenance involved, and often, it isn't pretty." —Anonymous, 54, Los Angeles "Buying land and putting your own house on it. The whole process to build the house was so awful that I almost didn't want the place by the time it was done." "Working in a chocolate shop! It's a nightmare and not at all romantic — and Valentine's Day is the worst! Non-stop chaos from open to close and largely because of chocolate-covered strawberries! The shop gets filthy. There are always a few employees hogging the register, and no one else gets a chance. Employees are judged by their sales, and if they don't sell enough, they could lose their jobs. Management doesn't do a thing about the register hogs. Yeah, very romantic." —Anonymous "Moving to Japan. It is not all anime, technology, and 7-Eleven. It is working long hours for low pay and is quite isolating. I managed to get settled, but I know many who fall into depression or leave the country quite quickly. Amazing place for a holiday, but don't expect the same experience if you choose to live here." "Owning a house. It sounds awesome; it's yours. Until you realize all the costs are also yours, and it's actually not yours but the bank's, and you have to pay and arrange everything. New heater, your problem. Leaking roof, you pay. And if you don't pay for repairs, the bank can take the house from you for neglect because it's still theirs." —dietarycharger "Yes, business travel. It seems cool and it is for a bit, but when you do it once a month or more, it's absolutely exhausting, and dealing with what feels like never-ending jet lag sucks." "Being a chef. Romantics would have you believe it's a world of cooking, great food, and top restaurants. Uh no. It's hot, demanding, and exhausting work under people who sometimes have no business being in charge of toilet paper, let alone a restaurant. It's hours and hours on your feet, working all hours, dealing with the public, and a LOT of stress." —Anonymous, 53, Virginia "As someone who's been diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and severe anxiety, I was to open-hand smack people when they romanticize depression or claim to be depressed when they're just bummed out. Depression is no joke; not feeling excited, inspired, or happy about anything truly sucks. Flat affect sucks." "Meeting your idol. Thinking they would be just like they are on film and talk shows. Turns out, your idols aren't anything like what you thought they were, and that's hard to take when you used to have such affection for them." —babycapricorn129 What's a thing people only romanticize because they've never actually done it? Tell us what it is and why in the comments or anonymously in the Google Form below:
