Pew Research Center recently published the results of a survey that asked a sample of American adults a key hypothetical question: Would you prefer to live in the past, present, or future?
According to the survey, 45 percent of U.S. adults said they would choose to live sometime in the past, including 25 percent who would live less than 50 years ago (near past) and 20 percent who would live more than 50 years in the past (distant past). In contrast, just 14 percent said they would live sometime in the future, with 5 percent saying they would live less than 50 years in the future (near future) and 9 percent who would live over 50 years in the future (distant future). About 40 percent of American adults would prefer to live in the present.
These results varied significantly by race and ethnicity. White Americans were by far the most likely group to express interest in living in the past, with 24 percent expressing interest in living in the distant past and 26 percent preferring to live in the near past. For Black Americans, only 11 percent would choose to live in the distant past, while 21 percent said they would prefer to live in the near past. The same figures for Hispanic Americans were 16 percent and 26 percent, respectively, while the same figures for Asian Americans were 9 percent and 23 percent, respectively.
Black Americans and Asian Americans were more likely to say they would rather live in the future, with 14 percent of both groups choosing the distant future and 8 percent of both groups choosing the near future. About 12 percent of Hispanic Americans would choose the distant future, and 7 percent would choose the near future. White Americans were significantly less likely to say they would prefer to live in the future, with only 7 percent choosing the distant future and 3 percent choosing the near future.
