Young Mexicans: From Idealistic Hope to Critical Conscience

A recent conversation with my youngest children—she is 40, he is 32—left me uneasy. Both millennials, raised through hard work and values, calmly spoke to me about something I'd already heard and read: they don't feel the future belongs to them. They don't doubt themselves, but they do doubt their surroundings. Their country, its institutions, the direction of the world. That conversation led me to look for a column I wrote in 2011, based on a survey conducted in 25 countries, including Mexico. I wanted to know if anything had changed. What I found was more than revealing.

The "Young People of the World" survey, conducted by the Foundation for Political Innovation (Fondapol) in Paris and TNS Opinion in Brussels, revealed that in 2011, 73% of young Mexicans viewed globalization as an opportunity, 81% said their future looked bright, and 84% were confident they would find a good job. Only 23% believed in Mexico's future, but the prevailing trend was an almost blind faith in individual effort as a path to success.

Fourteen years later, idealistic hope has given way to a critical awareness. According to the 2023 National Survey of Confidence in Public Administration (ENCOAP) by INEGI (the most recent), only 6.7% of millennials and 9.1% of Gen Z express high confidence in the federal government. In contrast, low confidence reaches 1% of millennials and 1.4% of Gen Z, while the vast majority express moderate levels or indifference. This confirms a persistent institutional distrust.

Priorities have also changed. If in 2011, globalization was seen as a train to be jumped on, today young people—millennials (1981–1996) and Generation Z (1997–2012)—prioritize sustainability, social justice, and mental health. According to the 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey conducted in February of last year by Deloitte among 22,841 young people in 44 countries, including Mexico, 62% of Gen Z and 59% of millennials place sustainability among their top concerns. Furthermore, 86% consider having a purpose in their work essential. In 2011, 62% believed that a successful career meant earning a good salary. Today, that sounds limited.

In 2011, only 38% viewed pollution as a threat; today, the environment is no longer just a concern; it influences their worldview and shapes their consumer, employment, and family decisions. Back then, only 34% felt close to the Catholic Church. Today, according to Latinobarómetro, this distrust extends to political parties, churches, congresses, the media, and all institutional figures. Only one in five young people believe in politicians.

The digital environment has also changed. In 2011, social media was a recreational space. Today, it's a platform for protest, a showcase for anxiety, and an ideological battleground. TikTok and X are sources of information and activism, but also of misinformation, social pressure, and emotional exhaustion.

In 2011, only 37% wanted to have children. Today, probably fewer. With precarious conditions, the climate crisis, and uncertainty, many choose not to repeat a life without guarantees.

Is this generation better? I don't know. But it's more realistic, more informed, more skeptical. And, like in 2011, it still doesn't trust those who govern. That, at least, hasn't changed.

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