WEF Youth Pulse survey shows young people use AI widely, worry about climate, yet see brighter economic future than parents

On Wednesday 14 October 2026 at 1:10 PM, Natalie Pierce, head of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community, unveiled early findings from the WEF Youth Pulse survey at the opening of the Annual Meeting of Global Future Leaders 2026 in Dubai.

Climate concerns rise

The survey shows that nine in 10 young people say climate change affects their daily lives, up from 45 % who named planetary resilience as their top global concern in a 2016 study of 20,000 youths; today that figure stands at 52 %. Pierce described climate disruption as a lived reality, citing retreating glaciers in the Himalayas and the Alps, wildfires across North America and Southern Europe, and floods and droughts intensified by a strengthening El Niño.

AI integration widespread

In 2016, 86 % of young people believed AI would create jobs and 64 % expected their own careers to be affected by the technology. Today, 91 % have embedded AI deeply into their daily lives and 62 % feel positive about its impact. Young people still expect AI to be the technology that most shapes the decade to 2036, with Pierce noting, “In 2016, AI was a prediction. In 2026, AI is a practice.” She added that the question has shifted from what AI can do to what they will do as it reshapes work, and that making human capabilities more valuable alongside AI is the area where they most want business and government to innovate.

Jobs gap and economic outlook

On personal futures, economic uncertainty ranks highest. Over the next decade, 1.2 billion young people in developing and emerging economies will reach working age, but only about 400 million new jobs are expected, leaving a shortfall of 800 million. Pierce said one in five young people worldwide is already outside employment, education and training. Despite these anxieties, two in three young people expect better economic prospects than their parents’ generation, with optimism strongest in sub‑Saharan Africa and just over half in Europe and Eurasia. Pierce remarked, “For young people, opportunity is still geographic,” calling their outlook “courage and a belief in the positive future that they can build.”

Youth want to shape change

Alois Zwinggi, President and CEO of the WEF, said the meeting takes place at a complicated moment for the region and the world, with geopolitical uncertainty reshaping security, trade and trust. He said the Youth Pulse reveals a generation of “ambition and agency” that is “not asking to be protected from change” but wants to shape it “with dignity, agency, and purpose”. Zwinggi thanked the UAE government for hosting the meeting despite challenging geopolitical circumstances, adding that dialogue and cooperation are “essential precisely when the world is under pressure”.

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