No future but the end: examining doomerism and fatalism among young adults n the United States

“Doomerism” is a term that has been coined in recent years by internet users, particularly younger adults in Generation Z. It has come to represent a growing group, once again largely of young adults, who feel disillusioned and dissatisfied with the current state of politics and humanity as a whole. This group, however, fosters a fatalistic attitude that believes human society is doomed and cannot get better. Previous literature has shown this phenomenon has been gaining traction among younger people, along with five primary elements that encapsulate this belief system: cynicism, climate anxiety, political fatalism, lack of hope for the future, and apocalyptic thinking. While the literature agrees this phenomenon is growing, there is not a consensus as to the driving causes of it. Through an anonymous survey and a series of follow-up interviews, this study works to determine if Doomerism is primarily influenced by pre-existing personal issues or an awareness of external socio-cultural factors. This study also examines the effects of Doomerism on the lives and political actions of young adults. A series of linear and logistic regressions run using the dataset created through survey responses found significant correlations between Doomerism and several factors. Key among these were participants’ opinions of the United States and their self-rated mental health, though awareness of external factors correlated more strongly. Though no significant relationship was found between Doomerism and likelihood to vote, political fatalism in particular decreased the odds of young adults planning to vote in the 2024 election.