The Kids Really Are Alright

Since the recession began more than two years ago, the Pew Research Center reports that more than half of all Americans have lost their job, had their hours or wages cut, or been forced to work part-time instead of full-time.

Our habits have changed, too, with more than 70 percent of respondents buying less expensive brands and more than half either cutting back or canceling vacation time altogether.

---

But among the groups hardest hit, 18-to-29-year-olds remain the most optimistic, believing that over the course of the next year their situation will likely improve, despite 24 percent having been forced to move back home since this whole thing started. Unemployed younger workers, the study reports, are also more willing than other groups to relocate or go back to school to better improve their chances.

How have you been impacted by the recession? And do you share in such youthful optimism?

Photo via.