26/07/2026
Young people feel a bad economy before anyone else, long before the official numbers show it.
Think of the canary in the coal mine. Miners took the small bird underground because it reacted to poison gas fast, giving everyone time to get out. Young people do the same in an economy. Aged 15 to 24, they move in and out of jobs more than anyone, so they feel a weak job market first.
So I built a tool to read that signal.
It's called the Youth Sentiment Index. It works like the PMI, the index economists everywhere watch, but it asks young people instead. A short survey, one score, a clear line between "getting better" and "trouble ahead."
Two reasons it matters, especially in developing countries:
→ It works anywhere. Many countries have no reliable financial data, but a survey is simple to run, even on a small budget.
→ It gives young people a voice, turning a group that's usually studied into one that's actually heard.
The paper is a concept, and the tool is fully built and ready to test. I want people to push on it. If you work on economic indicators, youth policy, or surveys, tell me where it holds and where it breaks.
📄 "A youth sentiment index as a leading economic indicator," Journal of Economic and Social Measurement (Sage)
🔗 To Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/eeqVK7nR
In your country, do young people feel the economy turn before the numbers do?

American University of Beirut (AUB)
Université Saint-Joseph de Beyrouth - USJ
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