In yesterday’s HOTLINE, we lamented that young men and women in their 20s and early 30s aren’t getting married.

Sage Economics has just done a fascinating analysis of Gen Z-ers, and finds they are dour and depressed. What would they do without their iPhones?

The chart below shows that consumer sentiment for young adults between 18 and 34 years old is at the lowest level in at least 50 years. They are even more forlorn today than their peers were in 2008 and 2009 during the mortgage meltdown mini-depression.

Why? We think one obvious answer is that this age group has been indoctrinated by the schools (since kindergarten) and the media to believe that Trump is evil and the world may be coming to an end. What a downer.

What’s sad is, as Sage puts it, “historically the youngest consumer segment (18-34) has been far more optimistic than the oldest (55+). Not so in 2025. As of September, the gap between 55+ sentiment and 18-34 sentiment is the largest on record.”

It’s true that the job market has softened over the past year or so, but the jobs are out there for those who really want a paycheck.

We also wonder if this pampered snowflake generation is just plain allergic to hard work. Instead, too many text and watch videos and complain about their raw deal when in reality, no generation in American history ever had it so good.

Incidentally, the relatively high unemployment of Gen Zers also helps explain why they aren’t getting married. Women don’t marry unemployed men.