Young adults now have the poorest wellbeing of any age group, according to one of the largest international surveys of its kind, with researchers warning that young people’s mental health is a growing global concern. The study, led by Columbia University in New York and published in the journal Social Indicators Research, gathered responses from around 50,000 people across 92 countries.
Its lead author, Professor Kai Ruggeri, described the findings as “a flashing red light that entire populations are already struggling”.
Young people’s mental health lags behind older generations
Participants were asked to rate themselves on ten areas of mental wellbeing, including optimism, self-esteem, competence, engagement and vitality. They also answered questions about stress, depression, anxiety and how satisfied they were with life, as well as about their income, savings and jobs.
The results showed 18 to 25-year-olds scored lowest of all, with the biggest gaps in vitality, emotional stability and resilience. In general, wellbeing tended to improve with age, and older respondents reported the most positive results.
According to ScienceBlog, just 14.7% of 18 to 25-year-olds showed no signs of depression or anxiety, compared with 23.6% of respondents overall. The authors noted that earlier generations of young people had reported comparatively better mental health.
An optimism gap
Not everything was gloomy. Across all ages, people scored highest on their relationships with those close to them and on having a sense of meaning in life. The lowest-scoring item overall was energy.
The researchers describe what they call an optimism gap, where people feel reasonably positive about their own lives but far more negative about the state of society. They link this to outside pressures such as political and economic instability, which they say can fuel fear, stress and burnout.
Money, work and living with others
The study found that people with jobs and higher incomes reported better mental health, with no obvious point at which more money stopped helping, although each step up the income ladder brought smaller gains.
Each extra level of education was also linked to higher scores. People who lived with others did better than those living alone, and hybrid workers scored higher than those working fully from home.
Call for action from leaders
Prof Ruggeri, of Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health, said the results show many people already feel their resilience has worn thin, not just at some point in the future. He urged governments to move beyond vague promises and make specific commitments, including protecting livelihoods as AI threatens jobs, tackling burnout among young and working-age people, and improving access to mental health care.
The authors caution that the sample was not representative of any single country and that scores should not be used to rank nations, as cultural differences can shape how people answer. They also accept that some young volunteers may have taken part because they felt their mental health concerns were being ignored. However, they conclude that such factors cannot fully explain the findings given the size of the study.
The survey was carried out mostly online between June and August 2025, with 261 researchers listed as co-authors. Its authors want the findings to push young people’s mental health, and wellbeing more widely, higher up the agenda for political leaders.
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Sources: Columbia University via EurekAlert, News-Medical, ScienceBlog
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