The PN-3 Squeeze: Reaching Young & Anxious Families Where They Are

March 17, 2026
01:00pm - 02:00pm CST

Economic Security Project (ESP) advocates for ideas that build economic power for all Americans. Their team disburses grants, runs issue campaigns, develops creative interventions and research products, and convenes the field to advance their issues and turn bold ideas into reality.

In 2023 ESP conducted a wide-ranging research project to help understand people’s views on the role of government and their openness to progressive policy interventions. What they found spoke to both a big communication gap and a tremendous opportunity: 40% of those surveyed described themselves as “economically anxious” and held the belief that government wasn’t doing enough to help them, but also that government can and should help people like them.

They call this group “Young & Anxious”, and it includes a large number of parents in the PN-3 years who feel unable to afford the basics (home ownership, childcare, groceries and utilities) and recognize that they will be the first generation to be worse off economically than their parents. Effectively communicating with this group where they naturally live online has been a major project of ESP for the last year-plus, and they’re pleased to be able to share some of the insights gained and what they see as the next steps to address the affordability crisis for PN-3 families in this country.