A new global survey of young people has ranked youth optimism about the future across 100 countries with students from 41 countries providing sufficient responses, measuring how hopeful students feel about their personal futures, the economy, the environment, politics, and the future of society as a whole.

The study by Oxford summer school provider, Oxford Scholastica Academy, received responses from 1,433 students to discover where Gen Z are the most and least optimistic about their future.

Sri Lankan students are the most optimistic in the world, scoring 4.32 out of 5 overall, while young people in Kuwait are the least hopeful, with an overall score of just 2.92.

Sri Lanka leads the study with young people reporting the highest rates of optimism, with the highest environmental optimism score of any country in the study (4.62) and strong personal optimism (4.75). Despite significant economic turbulence in recent years, Sri Lankan students remain deeply hopeful about the future of their society (4.25).

The second most optimistic country is Kenya with students surveyed, scoring 4.31 overall. Kenyan students marked feeling optimistic about the future of society (4.43, joint highest in the study alongside Cyprus) and recorded the highest political optimism of any country surveyed (3.96).

Nepal achieves a perfect personal optimism score of 5.00 – the only country to do so and ranked third overall. Nepal also has the highest economic optimism (4.80), suggesting that despite its lower-income status, students feel strongly positive about their individual prospects.

Kazakhstan is the fourth most optimistic nation according to the students polled, students report high economic confidence (4.56) along with the third-highest political optimism in the study (3.76).

Indonesia scores 4.07 while Nigeria scores 4.08, with Nigerian students scoring highly for environmental optimism (3.92) and Indonesian students reporting economic confidence (4.41).

Among Western nations, Canada ranks highest at sixth (4.08), comfortably ahead of the United States (3.99), the UK (3.61), Germany (3.73), and France (3.22).

Kuwait has the least optimistic young people of any country surveyed, scoring just 2.92 out of 5. Kuwaiti students record the lowest political optimism in the entire study at just 1.80 as well as the lowest future-of-society score (2.40).

Rwanda ranks second-least optimistic (3.20), with low scores for the future of society (2.83) and environmental optimism (2.83).

Turkey ranks third-least optimistic (3.22). Turkish students record the fifth-lowest political optimism (2.58) and the fourth-lowest environmental score (2.62).

France and Poland follow closely. French students recorded the lowest environmental optimism of any country in the study at just 2.25 and political optimism of 2.38. Polish students score just 2.30 for political optimism, the second-lowest globally behind Kuwait.

The United Kingdom ranks 33rd out of 41 countries, scoring 3.61 overall. British students score just 3.04 for political optimism and 3.06 for environmental optimism, placing the UK in the bottom third on both categories.

Discussing the findings, Lavinia Abell, Co-Director of Oxford Scholastica Academy said the following:

“In every aspect of society, there are things to be anxious and pessimistic about. This could be the rise in AI, war, the cost-of-living increasing and much more. This will be especially worrisome for young people, facing challenges as they enter the world of work. What this study highlights is the attitudes of each nationality towards these uncertainties.

“What is particularly striking is how low Italy’s political optimism scores are compared to other European nations. Even France and Poland, which also rank near the bottom, show slightly different patterns.”

The survey was conducted by Oxford Scholastica Academy. Since 2013, their award-winning programmes have empowered young people to seize the future. They have welcomed bright students from around the globe for more than a decade, giving them the edge to help them succeed, find their purpose and make a difference in the world. They’re proud to be accredited by the British Accreditation Council for their high education and Pastoral standards, to have received the first King’s Award from King Charles III at Buckingham Palace and to be rated the number one academic summer school in Europe. (Credit: www.oxfordscholastica.com)