Band 9: The chart below shows the results of a European survey into young people's expectations for change in five different areas of life in the next 20 years. They were asked if they thought things would improve or get worse.

The bar chart presents the findings of a European survey on young people’s predictions for changes in five areas of life over the next 20 years.

Overall, respondents tend to believe that communication between people and the quality of food will improve, whereas most young people expect environmental conditions, especially air quality, to deteriorate in the future.

Looking first at areas where improvements are expected, communication between people is viewed most positively, with 54% of young respondents believing it will improve. Similarly, almost half of those surveyed (49%) think that food quality will become better. In contrast, fewer young people are optimistic about health and water quality, with only 42% and 40% respectively predicting improvements in these areas.

By comparison, pessimism is strongest regarding air quality in cities, as a significant 70% of respondents expect it to get worse. Concerns are also high about water quality and health, with 60% and 58% respectively believing these aspects of life will deteriorate. Food quality is the only area where opinions are almost evenly divided.