America’s Hopelessness Crisis May Have Less To Do With the Economy and More To Do With Gen Z’s Mental Health, New Survey Shows

Clay Routledge, PhD, is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the Archbridge Institute, where he also leads the institute’s Human Flourishing Lab. As a thought leader in existential psychology and human motivation, Clay translates research into practical insights that help people reach their full potential, build meaningful lives, and advance human progress and flourishing. Dr. Routledge received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is co-editor of Profectus Magazine, an online publication dedicated to human progress and flourishing. He writes the weekly newsletter "Flourishing Friday."

Andrew Abeyta, PhD, is a social psychology fellow at the Archbridge Institute. He is an assistant professor of psychology and director of the Social and Existential Motives Lab at Rutgers University in Camden, New Jersey. As a social psychologist, he studies how people satisfy the psychological needs for meaning in life and social belonging. His research focuses on psychological factors—such as the experience of nostalgia, religion, and supernatural beliefs—that promote social belonging and meaning. Dr. Abeyta earned his Ph.D. in social and health psychology from North Dakota State University.