A recent report produced by the Walton Family Foundation and Gallup shows that more than half of Gen Z Arkansans are thriving. But how do we quantify what it means to thrive, and what other factors play a role in that? Andrea Malek Ash is a senior research consultant at Gallup. She says this research is based on national data compiled for several years.
Andrea Malek Ash: And the whole purpose of the study was this idea that Gen Zers are talked about a lot, but we don’t often get to hear directly from them. Right? At least not at a national level. And representative. And so we really wanted to elevate their voices, get at what they’re interested in.
So we started back in 2023. We’ve done many studies since then. We do one annual each year and then get into more specifics. When we first started, we knew that education would be important to them. We knew that we wanted to understand kind of what these young people want from their lives, from their future, how education and their experiences at school add to that. But we also started with just kind of what do you want out of life? Which of the following things would make a great life for you? That sort of thing.
One of those important metrics is this thriving metric that you’re talking about. And so since then, every year we’ve tracked the percent of Gen Zers, including Arkansas Gen Zers, that are thriving. So the way we do that is we ask young people to think of a ladder with rungs from zero to ten, thinking of your life now, where would you put yourself? And then in the next five years, where would you put yourself? So I think you can kind of think of yourself, where would you rank yourself now? What do you think of your life in five years from now? And if young people can think that they’re currently at a seven or higher and will be at an eight or higher in five years, that’s what puts them at thriving. And this is a metric, it’s called the Cantril scale. It’s something that exists out there. Gallup has used it. We’ve actually used it in our world happiness reports all over the world. Really. It’s a great measure. And so that’s where we get this number.
Moore: You use the term cautiously optimistic. What keeps you from being just full on optimistic?
Andrea Malek Ash: Great question. I think there’s two things. One is that as you pointed out, you know, it’s great that 51 percent of Arkansas Gen Z-ers are thriving this year. However, that’s 51 percent. And so while it’s the first time since we’ve studied it that it’s gone over fifty, there’s still 49 percent that can’t meet that criteria. Right? And so how can you be so optimistic when it’s almost half that still can’t say they’re thriving. So that’s reason number one.
Another reason would be while adult relationships are one of these really positive points of a student’s engaging classroom experience — so like, if you look at all the things that can make a school engaging for a kid, for a high school student or even for young adult college students — adult relationships and relationships with others are one of those really important pieces. But a large group of students are still missing out on some of these really crucial aspects. For example, just under half would agree that their schoolwork challenges them in a good way in Arkansas. And some of those areas we know are really important.
Moore: The other thing that sticks out to me, as someone who is a millennial, I think about my high school years. I think about my early college years, which is a lot of where this demographic is right now. And I wish that I had had more adults in my life. And I think that’s a sentiment that I’ve heard from many people who were my age. So I wonder if there is this element of perhaps us as millennials now that we get to be that adult who cares for the younger generation below us? You know, is there any way to see this sort of data that maybe because the generation before did not have as high of a number, they feel this responsibility or onus to make sure the next generation is cared for better than they may have felt like they were cared for.
Andrea Malek Ash: That’s touching. And yeah, it certainly makes me think about the importance of those mentors. We know, in some other work that we’ve done with the Walton Family Foundation, that two of the biggest barriers to young people achieving their goals and dreams are not knowing about the right pathways or not knowing how to choose between different pathways. And mentors are such an important part of that. And I think people in your position and other mentors of these young people do feel that onus.
I was talking to some counselors and advisors that work with the Rooted Alliance. I know they do a lot of work in Arkansas. And one of them said you know, I also saw that eight in ten Arkansas students say that there’s an adult at school who encourages me to pursue my goals and dreams. It's great that eight in ten is so high, but that means there’s two in ten who can’t agree to that. And they were saying that they wanted to kind of put that on their exit survey at the end of each year to see if they could get that number to one hundred percent. So I think your sentiment is certainly shared by other educators and mentors.
Moore: I don’t know, maybe that’s the skeptic in me, but it feels impossible to imagine there’s a world where ten in ten students feel like there is an adult in their life who can help them and encourage them in a school setting. Is that just pessimistic of me?
Andrea Malek Ash: You know, you sound like a real researcher. I think that’s the amazing part about the adults that care about students so much in school, the fact that that’s their goal. Ten out of ten.
Moore: Yeah. No, I think that’s valid and it’s admirable.
Andrea Malek Ash: That would be wonderful.
Moore: As you look at this research we’ve talked a lot about the quantitative stuff. Maybe let’s talk a little bit about some of the qualitative research that has come through this and what sticks out to you and what surprises you.
Andrea Malek Ash: So I will say that as part of this work, when we develop surveys, we always ask these questions in person to students and to young people. Gen Z this year 13 to 28 is what we’re counting as Gen Z-ers. So we ask every one of these questions to young people to make sure that they’re understood, see if we should make any tweaks. That gives us a good background on understanding these questions. I don’t think our report that is being released has any qualitative findings in it that stand out. But I would encourage you to check out some of our other research. We did a study on parents of Gen Z-ers and their relationships with students and students told us about the things that for example they most want to hear from their parents. And that has some really wonderful qualitative data in it.
Moore: This research that I have here is obviously based in Arkansas.
Andrea Malek Ash: Yeah.
Moore: Arkansas seems to be standing out in some areas. It seems to be kind of following the national trend. Is there anywhere that there’s a real dip or there’s a real drop that is concerning?
Andrea Malek Ash: I actually have a couple areas where Arkansas is standing out. So over the last few years that we’ve been doing this research we ask about different classroom experiences, we also ask about some forward-looking things on well-being, connection, the future. For example, we asked students to agree or disagree: I know what my core values are. I have a great future ahead of me. Arkansas Gen Z-ers of all ages reported a more positive outlook than the national average in a couple areas. One really strong one is they are more likely to say I feel a sense of connection with something larger than myself. And more likely to say I know what my core values are. These are two areas connected to a sense of connection and meaning that our young people in Arkansas are more likely to endorse and to say they have that sense of connection.
They’re also more likely — this really stood out in 2025 — to say I have a great future ahead of me. So 86 percent of young people in Arkansas between the ages of 13 and 28 said I have a great future ahead of me. The national average was 77 percent.
Moore: I can’t imagine at that age thinking that. But I also came out of a world where when I was in college, the recession was happening. This was 2008, 2009, right around then. Do we have any sort of indication of what makes them so hopeful?
Andrea Malek Ash: I will say that although they are certainly optimistic about the future, a repeated finding that we see is that they’re less likely to say they feel prepared for that future, which is maybe a little bit of what you’re getting at there. And like I mentioned before about how those post-secondary pathways and thinking about what they might want to do after high school — that’s so important to these young people’s success. In a similar vein, we really want to continue to kind of move the needle on helping more young people feel prepared.
Moore: How can regular folks, how can parents, how can mentors, educators, people who work with Gen Z folks on a regular basis, how can we take this survey, this study, and utilize it in a way to help people feel better prepared? How can we help them to feel better supported?
Andrea Malek Ash: That matters. It matters what adults are doing with young people. I can point you to a kind of list of eight things that we measured that make a difference. And before I mention those specific eight things, I just want to say that was a big finding in this study in 2025 that the benefits of a great education, the benefits of being engaged by those adults, those moments when an adult comes in to be that person that can support a young person’s hopes and dreams, to make the coursework feel relevant and challenging — if you’re an educator or counselor — those benefits extend beyond the walls of a classroom. Truly, it affects other aspects of their lives, such as that preparation for the future, optimism for the future, like you mentioned. So those actions that adults take really make a difference.
I would encourage folks to think about those different aspects of an engaging classroom experience that we talked about, and really focus on where those adults can make a difference. So we know that students who say I have at least one teacher who makes me excited about the future — and then for young adults that’s at least one other person or a mentor who makes me excited about the future — that’s directly related to these other really positive outcomes, like optimism, feeling prepared. And so I think those are areas where I would say check out some of those important drivers, connect with a student.
If you’re thinking specifically about those pathways, being able to talk to someone who has a job that they want or somebody that has a job that they don’t yet know about is an important predictor of young people being able to feel like they’re prepared and know what kind of pathway they want to go on. So those types of experiences are really important. I would encourage you to talk to, even if it’s your neighbor, for example, if you live next to a young person, talk about your job, mention the parts that you either like or don’t like about it, and perhaps the things that helped you to get there, because that really helps young people see a future for themselves. And it is also in the process of giving them somebody who can potentially encourage those goals and dreams for them.
Andrea Malek Ash is a senior research consultant at Gallup. You can find a link to that report produced by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation here.
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