Pessimism about the future is pervasive in many nations around the world, a Gallup poll conducted in 17 countries has found. More than three-quarters of Venezuelans felt their children will be worse off than they are now; the Taiwanese were the most optimistic. Q: Will the next generation of children be worse off, better off or the same as you are today? THE SURVEY: Gallup asked the question in 17 countries in which the organization has offices, in April 1995, except for France, where it was asked just after the French elections, May 18-20, 1995. The sample size in each country was about 1,000 people, with the exception of Venezuela, where 501 people participated. The results should not be treated as representative of the entire world population. While one-third of the world's population is included, the countries were not chosen to represent the world at large.

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