Today, the Young People's Alliance (YPA) released "The Need for a New American Dream: How Young People Are Navigating a System That Wasn't Built for Them," based on listening sessions with ~210 students across 22 campuses in Michigan, North Carolina, and California. The report, covered in Politico's Morning Tech newsletter, finds young Americans are drawing clear lines around where AI does and does not belong in their futures.
The AI paradox: Young people embrace AI for basic tasks but reject it in human-centered roles. Respondents advocated for greater regulation of AI in caregiving, personal relationships, and AI companions.
Skills over safety-nets: 35% supported skills-based training as the top response to job automation while only 16% proposed UBI. Students emphasized work as a source of dignity and purpose.
Erosion of community: 42% expressed concern about tech dependency with 55% saying they would decrease their reliance on technology, citing a desire to connect more in person.
Affordability over geopolitical dominance: Home affordability, stable livelihood, and dignity ranked as top priorities whereas the AI race against China and entertainment tech ranked at the bottom.
25 applications, one position: Students applied to an average of 25 jobs/internships before landing a role with 62% linking employment barriers directly to financial instability anxieties.
"This report shows that young people do not have binary views towards AI; the line of comfort shifts depending on the situation. It is important to capture these nuances because narratives tend to make broad generalizations about young people's attitudes towards AI in their lives. The reality is that it's more complicated." said Bomi Akarakiri, Research and Policy Director, YPA
The report arrives as Congress weighs AI regulation and workforce development proposals. YPA has been a champion of AI regulation, contributing to a 99-1 Senate defeat of a proposed AI moratorium and developing a human-centered AI framework adopted in state legislation. This report informs the organization's soon-to-be released Declaration for a New American Dream, which will include keystone events with federal legislators. The full study is available here.
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About Young People's Alliance: Young People's Alliance is a bipartisan, Gen Z-led nonprofit with 3,000+ members across 78+ campuses in 15 states. The organization is focused on creating a new American Dream through advocacy on creating opportunity, affordability, and community for young people.
Contact: press@youngpeoplesalliance.org