If Americans could hop through time like Marty McFly, most say they’d head backward, not forward.
A new Pew Research Center survey finds that 45% of U.S. adults would choose to live in the past if they had the option. Only 14% say they’d live in the future, while 40% would stay right where they are.
Nostalgia beats the future
The survey, conducted in summer 2025, shows a clear tilt toward nostalgia. About a quarter of adults say they’d live less than 50 years in the past. Another 20% say they’d go back more than 50 years.
By contrast, just 5% say they’d choose the near future, and 9% say they’d live more than 50 years ahead.
Pew researchers note that these results fit a long-running pattern. When Americans compare the past, present, and future, opinions often lean nostalgic.
Who wants to live in the past
Some groups show a stronger pull toward earlier decades.
White adults are more likely than Hispanic, Black, or Asian adults to say they’d choose the distant past. Republicans and Republican-leaners are about twice as likely as Democrats and Democratic leaners to prefer living 50 or more years ago.
Education also matters. Adults without a bachelor’s degree are more likely than college graduates to say they’d choose the distant past.
Men and women show similar interest in the distant past. Women, however, are more likely than men to prefer the more recent past, defined as less than 50 years ago.
Age plays a role too. Adults ages 18 to 49 are more likely than older adults to want to live in the recent past. Adults 50 and older show slightly more interest in the distant past.
Who prefers the present
Across most demographic groups, about four-in-ten adults say they’d choose to live in the present.
Those 65 and older stand out. Nearly half say they’d stay in today’s world. The same goes for adults with at least a bachelor’s degree and those with upper incomes.
Who looks to the future
While fewer Americans overall choose the future, some groups show more optimism about what’s ahead.
Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults are more likely than White adults to say they’d live in the future. Democrats are about twice as likely as Republicans to choose the near or distant future. Adults under 50 also show slightly more interest in future decades than older adults.
Men are more likely than women to say they’d choose the distant future. Both genders show similar interest in the near future.
Mixed emotions about what’s ahead
The survey also asked Americans how they feel when they think about the future.
Most adults say they feel hopeful. At the same time, many say they feel scared, happy, or sad. Large shares report feeling more than one emotion.
Religious attendance and politics shape those feelings. People who attend religious services regularly are more likely to feel hopeful and happy, and less likely to feel scared or sad. Republicans are more likely than Democrats to report positive feelings about the future, while Democrats are more likely to express fear or sadness.
Pew researchers say these emotional divides often shift depending on which party holds power in Washington.
The findings come as the 40th anniversary of “Back to the Future” approaches, a reminder that while Americans enjoy imagining what’s next, many still believe the best time to live may already have passed.
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