If you're young and poor, today's new Pew Center survey has bad news and good news.

The bad news: you're economically devastated. "[Since] 2010, the share of young adults ages 18 to 24 currently employed (54%) has been its lowest since the government began collecting these data in 1948. And the gap in employment between the young and all working-age adults-roughly 15 percentage points-is the widest in recorded history."

The good news: you're optimistic nonetheless. "Among those ages 18 to 34, nearly nine-in-ten (88%) say they either have or earn enough money now or expect they will in the future. Only 9% say they don't think they will ever have enough to live the life they want."

The bad news: for the majority of you, your optimism will almost certainly prove naive.

[Image: illustir/ Flickr]