The optimism of the 90s was definitely a thing in the west, even if those particular metrics were worse. It was the perceived end of the cold war, and no other

The optimism of the 90s was definitely a thing in the west, even if those particular metrics were worse. It was the perceived end of the cold war, and no other state could seemingly challenge the west. It really did seem like the end of war and every generation would have it better than the previous one. That optimism was pervasive and colored culture, mood, everything. Now you've got a lot of millennials / gen-zers who grew up in homes their parents owned, unable to buy a home (in a place that would have jobs for them) saddled with college debt and few friends outside their computer screens. I think that's at the root, and all of those metrics mean nothing to them. Housing + debt, everything else is noise. Other than for homosexuals, transsexuals, and maybe career focused females it's not outrageous to claim the 90s were a better time to be starting your life/adulthood.