As 2025 draws to a close, archival polling data from the Roper Center at Cornell University offers a fascinating window into the collective psyche of late-20th century America. The year was 1998—President Bill Clinton faced impeachment proceedings, ‘Titanic’ dominated the Oscars, and landline phones remained household staples. It was against this backdrop that Gallup and USA Today surveyed 1,055 Americans about their visions for the distant future year of 2025.
The results reveal a remarkable blend of prescient foresight and optimistic miscalculation. A majority of respondents accurately predicted the election of a Black president, the legalization of gay marriage, and the emergence of a deadly new disease—all realities of contemporary America. Conversely, most expressed appropriate skepticism about the commercialization of space travel or contact with extraterrestrial life.
Yet the forecast contained significant overestimations. Approximately two-thirds anticipated a female president by 2025, while more than half expected a definitive cancer cure and 61% projected routine centenarian lifespans—advancements that remain unrealized.
The survey uncovered profound societal pessimism regarding class divisions and civil liberties. Seventy percent predicted improved quality of life for the wealthy, but respondents were divided on middle-class prospects and overwhelmingly anticipated worsening conditions for the poor. Nearly 80% foresaw diminished personal privacy, 57% expected reduced personal freedom, and majorities predicted higher crime rates, environmental degradation, and declining moral values. Seventy-one percent believed it would be harder to raise children with strong character.
Isolated bright spots included expectations of improved race relations and greater medical care availability, albeit with concerns about affordability.
Comparing longitudinal data reveals a stark decline in national optimism. Where 60% of Americans expressed satisfaction with the country’s direction in 1998, Gallup’s contemporary measurements show that figure has plummeted to just 24%—highlighting a dramatic shift in the American outlook over the past quarter-century.