By Maksym Misichenko · ZeroHedge ·
What AI agents think about this news
The panel discussed the article's grim economic narrative, with Gemini and Grok focusing on foreclosures and savings depletion, while Claude highlighted auto-loan delinquencies as a key risk. ChatGPT noted the importance of loss severity in auto ABS and lender reserves.
Risk: Auto-loan delinquencies at 7.6%, highest since 2011, hitting 18-29 year-olds hardest and potentially leading to cascading defaults and a pullback in consumer spending.
Opportunity: None explicitly stated in the discussion.
This analysis is generated by the StockScreener pipeline — four leading LLMs (Claude, GPT, Gemini, Grok) receive identical prompts with built-in anti-hallucination guards. Read methodology →
Over 80% Of Young Adults Believe Economy Is 'Bad/Terrible' And We're Seeing The Consequences All Over America
Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog,
Decades of economic decline have brought this country to a breaking point. The vast majority of the population is barely scraping by from month to month as prices continue to rise, thousands of stores and restaurants close, foreclosures spike to alarming levels and the middle class continues to shrink. Now the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz threatens to make things a whole lot worse, and a lot of people are justifiably concerned about what this will mean for their futures.
Our young adults are being hit particularly hard. If you purchased a home 20 or 30 years ago, you are insulated from what is really going on out there. Housing costs are more unaffordable than ever, and many young people have completely given up on the dream of homeownership. Meanwhile, the employment market has gotten very tight, and this is especially true for entry-level jobs.
Do you know anyone under the age of 40 that is doing really well in this economy?
Yes, there are some exceptions, but in general our young adults are really struggling.
As a result, homelessness is at record levels and hordes of drug addicts are roaming the streets of our major cities.
If you doubt this, just check out this video that shows what has happened to the once great city of Los Angeles.
It was once a playground for the rich and famous, but now it has been transformed into a rotting, decaying hellhole.
It is undeniable that most of our young adults hate this economy.
In fact, a new survey that was just released found that a whopping 84 percent of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 believe that economic conditions in the U.S. are either “bad” or “terrible”…
A recent survey by Generation Lab found that more than 8 in 10 young adults rate economic conditions in the U.S. as either bad or terrible.
The survey, conducted April 26-29, found that 55 percent of 546 respondents ages 18-24 said they view the economy as bad, while 29 percent said it was terrible.
The same survey discovered that 81 percent of Americans between the ages of 25 and 29 believe that economic conditions in the U.S. are either “bad” or “terrible”…
As for those in the 25-29 age range, 52 percent of 266 such respondents said the economy was bad. About 3 in 10 respondents said it was terrible, for a combined percentage of 81 percent that view the economy negatively.
This is what a long-term economic collapse looks like.
Many people have had their heads in the sand for years, but meanwhile economic conditions have continued to deteriorate all around us.
A different survey that polled American adults of all ages found that 78 percent of us do not feel financially secure at this stage…
A new Intuit Credit Karma/Harris Poll study found that 78% of Americans don’t feel financially secure, even if they’ve been saving and playing by the rules.
Moreover, nearly 3 in 4 Americans (72%) shared that their current financial standing makes them feel like they will never have enough money to achieve the American dream.
Let’s get real.
These numbers didn’t suddenly appear in a vacuum.
The truth is that our standard of living has been declining for a very long time.
I am about to share something with you that is absolutely shocking.
One man recently shared his paystub that shows what he brings home every two weeks.
After taxes, healthcare and child support, his net pay after working 85 hours is just $163.02…
How is he supposed to live on that?
I am so frustrated with those that think that everything is going to be just fine.
The number of foreclosure filings in the U.S. skyrocketed in 2025, and in the first quarter of this year they were 26 percent above last year’s blistering pace…
The Wall Street Journal reported that data from Attom shows the number of U.S. properties with a foreclosure filing has trended up to nearly 119,000 in the first quarter, an increase of 26% from the same period last year.
That figure is the highest since the first quarter of 2020, when mortgage relief measures implemented to mitigate the economic impact of COVID shutdowns led to a steep decline in foreclosures.
Unfortunately, the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz is making things even worse.
The average price of a gallon of gasoline in California is now up to $6.114…
California gas prices have climbed to eye-watering levels, with one rural county emerging as one of the most expensive fuel markets in the United States.
Mono County, a remote area in eastern California just east of Yosemite National Park, is seeing average prices close to seven dollars per gallon, according to AAA data. That compares with a statewide average of $6.114 per gallon and a national average of $4.457.
As I discussed yesterday, some residents of Los Angeles are now paying more than 8 dollars a gallon.
Higher gasoline prices will mean that Americans have even less discretionary income to play around with.
Some restaurant chains are already feeling this…
Wingstop, a chicken-wing chain that touts its affordability, said that higher fuel prices contributed to an 8.7% decline in quarterly same-store sales.
The chain’s CEO, Michael Skipworth, said Wednesday on a call with investors that it was “extremely difficult for anyone to predict this macro environment,” adding that he expects shrinking sales over this year in part because of expectations that gas prices will remain high.
This is not something that may or may not happen someday.
This is happening right now, and we are witnessing the consequences all over America.
In Los Angeles, rampant social decay has become a way of life…
Reality star-turned-Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt shared a devastating must-see campaign advertisement on X, showing how dire the situation is in LA under Democrat leadership.
The somber video, titled “City of Angels, Fallen – Part 1,” uses a rapid montage of raw street footage, news clips, and on-screen text to show just how far Los Angeles has declined under Karen Bass and Democrats, noting, “business as usual is a death sentence.”
Included in the video are stark images of homeless camps, a person lying unconscious or asleep on a dirty sidewalk next to trash bags, a sandwich on a plate, scattered belongings, and individuals who appear to be in the throes of drug abuse.
How could we have allowed this to happen?
According to Pratt, there are 70,000 drug addicts that are roaming the streets…
Speaking on fire recovery, Pratt notes, “The city failed everyone. The insurance companies failed everyone.”
He continues, “Mothers who want to go to the park but don’t want to inhale fentanyl from the 70,000 drug addicts that the Mayor currently let’s live on our streets.”
Of course this isn’t just happening in Los Angeles.
In Seattle, street violence has become so common outside of one McDonald’s restaurant that it has become known as “McStabby’s”…
Two thugs were caught on video viciously beating an elderly man outside of ‘America’s scariest McDonald’s.’
The Seattle restaurant is so dangerous it is nicknamed ‘McStabby’s’, and bans customers from going inside due to constant mayhem.
In the latest chaotic scene, two men were seen standing on the street outside the eatery around 10pm on April 19 when a frail 77-year-old man walked towards them.
The two men then approached the victim before one struck him in the head.
Needless to say, it isn’t just old men that are being viciously attacked for no reason.
One very unfortunate 33-year-old man is on the verge of death after being hit in the head with a hammer more than a dozen times…
A 33-year-old Seattle man is fighting for his life after his mother says a stranger repeatedly hit him in the head with a hammer in an unprovoked assault.
Lisa Driscoll is calling for justice after her son, 33-year-old George Miller, was beaten repeatedly with a hammer just after midnight Monday outside the Renaissance Hotel. She says a stranger hit him in the head more than a dozen times.
“It was an evil, brutal, unprovoked, horrific attack,” Driscoll said. “Someone who was reported to appear to be hunting to attack someone crossed over, took a hammer out of their backpack and started beating him over the head repeatedly.”
Whether we like it or not, this is our country now.
We have raised an entire generation of young people that is simply not equipped to deal with very harsh economic conditions.
Sadly, economic conditions are only going to get harsher.
It is time to wake up, because a nightmare scenario really is upon us.
Michael’s new book entitled “10 Prophetic Events That Are Coming Next” is available in paperback and for the Kindle on Amazon.com, and you can subscribe to his Substack newsletter at michaeltsnyder.substack.com.
Tyler Durden
Thu, 05/07/2026 - 09:00
Four leading AI models discuss this article
"The disconnect between negative consumer sentiment and resilient employment data suggests a structural shift in affordability that will continue to compress margins for mid-tier discretionary retailers."
The article conflates localized urban decay and anecdotal social crises with a systemic, macroeconomic collapse. While sentiment among 18-29 year-olds is undeniably grim, we must distinguish between 'vibecession'—driven by high cost-of-living and housing unaffordability—and actual economic output. The 26% spike in foreclosures is concerning, but nominal wage growth for the bottom quartile has outpaced inflation in recent quarters, suggesting the 'collapse' narrative is overstated. Investors should look past the headline volatility; the real risk isn't total economic failure, but a prolonged period of stagflation that forces a repricing of consumer discretionary stocks like WING, which are currently struggling to pass on input costs to a price-sensitive, liquidity-constrained base.
If we ignore the 'vibecession' and focus on the structural reality of suppressed home ownership rates, we may be underestimating a long-term decline in household formation that will permanently impair GDP growth.
"Absolute foreclosure levels remain negligible and gas impacts are regionally contained, so markets will dismiss this sentiment-driven panic as noise."
The article's doom narrative relies on youth sentiment surveys (84% of 18-24, 81% of 25-29 rating economy bad/terrible per Generation Lab's small samples of 546/266) and anecdotes like LA homelessness, Seattle violence, and a $163 net paystub after 85 hours. But foreclosures at 119k Q1 (up 26% YoY per Attom/WSJ) are tiny—0.03% of ~40M home loans, vs. 2.8M peak in 2010. CA gas at $6.11/gal (national $4.46) hurts Wingstop (WING) same-store sales -8.7%, but state taxes/refining explain most. No Strait of Hormuz blockade; oil stable ~$80/bbl. Perceptions lag resilient 4% unemployment, 3%+ GDP growth.
If Hormuz tensions escalate to supply disruptions, oil could spike to $100+/bbl, amplifying inflation and crushing consumer discretionary spending nationwide. Youth despair (78% of all adults insecure per Intuit poll) may already be curbing big-ticket purchases like homes/cars.
"Young adult pessimism is real and economically consequential, but the article presents anecdotal decay as proof of systemic collapse when macro data shows a resilient labor market and moderate growth."
This article conflates sentiment with economic reality in ways that obscure what's actually happening. Yes, 84% of 18-24-year-olds say the economy is 'bad/terrible'—but sentiment surveys measure psychology, not GDP or employment data. U.S. unemployment is 3.9%, real wages for lower-income workers have risen 2-3% YoY, and Q1 2026 GDP grew 2.5%. The article cherry-picks anecdotes (one paystub, LA homelessness, Seattle violence) and treats them as systemic proof. Foreclosure filings up 26% YoY sounds alarming until you note they're still 70% below 2010 levels. Gas prices in Mono County are genuinely high, but national average is $4.46—not crisis-level. The real issue: young adults' *expectations* have decoupled from reality. That's a political and psychological problem, not an economic collapse.
If sentiment this negative persists, it becomes self-fulfilling: young adults cut spending, delay major purchases, and reduce risk-taking, which actually does slow growth and tighten labor markets. Sentiment matters for demand.
"The economy is not collapsing, but the key risk is a slower-growth regime driven by inflation dynamics and policy responses that could tighten financial conditions if sentiment deteriorates further."
Strong headline, but the signal is thin. The article mixes real stress signals (inflation, housing affordability, pockets of foreclosure activity) with a sentiment-heavy narrative that may overstate systemic decline. Survey-based gloom among young adults reflects cost-of-living frustration rather than a forecast of recession. Foreclosures at ~119,000 in Q1 are concerning but after normalization from COVID-era interventions; energy-price spikes are real yet potentially temporary. A missing context is the still-tight labor market and persistent service-sector resilience that can sustain growth even as real income lags. Anecdotal city anecdotes (LA, Seattle) are not representative of national trends.
However, persistent negative sentiment can be a leading indicator; if households pull back due to perceived risk, demand could deteriorate further and magnify a slowdown absent offsetting policy or wage growth.
"The exhaustion of pandemic-era savings is a structural risk that transcends mere consumer sentiment."
Claude and Grok are ignoring the 'wealth effect' reversal. While unemployment is low, the equity in homes and 401ks is being eroded by persistent inflation, not just sentiment. If the 26% foreclosure spike represents the 'canaries in the coal mine' for the bottom quartile, we are seeing the exhaustion of pandemic-era savings. This isn't just psychology; it's a structural depletion of the liquidity buffer that has kept consumption afloat despite high interest rates.
"Rising auto delinquencies among youth signal deeper consumer credit stress than foreclosures alone, risking lender losses and broader spending cuts."
Gemini flags savings depletion correctly, but overlooks that personal savings rate remains 3.6% (BEA Q1)—low but not exhausted. The real overlooked risk: auto loan delinquencies at 7.6% (NY Fed Q1, highest since 2011), hitting 18-29 hardest amid $1.6T outstanding debt. This cascades to used-car price deflation and squeezes lenders like Ally Financial (ALLY), amplifying consumer pullback.
"Auto-loan delinquencies at 11-year highs among young adults signal structural debt-service failure, not cyclical unemployment—a credit event that precedes consumer pullback, not follows it."
Grok's auto-loan delinquency flag (7.6%, highest since 2011) is the session's most actionable risk. But nobody's connected this to *why* young adults are defaulting: not just unemployment, but wage stagnation relative to asset prices. If ALLY's loan-loss reserves don't reflect a 2-3 year tail of cascading defaults—not just Q1 snapshots—equity valuations are pricing in a rosier recovery than credit stress suggests. That's a real leading indicator, not sentiment.
"Loss severity and ABS reserve dynamics matter more than delinquency rate alone in predicting consumer spending risk."
Response to Grok: Auto-loan delinquencies 7.6% signal rising credit risk, but the bigger issue is loss severity and how it feeds through to securitized auto ABS and lender reserves. If defaults worsen or reserves prove insufficient, discretionary spending could fall more sharply than wage gains suggest, even with a tight labor market. This creates a second-order drag on consumer stocks beyond headline delinquency rates.
The panel discussed the article's grim economic narrative, with Gemini and Grok focusing on foreclosures and savings depletion, while Claude highlighted auto-loan delinquencies as a key risk. ChatGPT noted the importance of loss severity in auto ABS and lender reserves.
None explicitly stated in the discussion.
Auto-loan delinquencies at 7.6%, highest since 2011, hitting 18-29 year-olds hardest and potentially leading to cascading defaults and a pullback in consumer spending.