This article explores the present and imagined future impact of the Portuguese economic crisis among tertiary-educated youth in Lisbon. The results of a quantitative survey and follow-up interviews illustrate that this impact is widespread and multifaceted, ranging from a perceived devaluation of educational credentials and a loss of faith in the local job market to feeling unable to contemplate having a family of one’s own. This evidence suggests that diminished future expectations are prevalent among tertiary-educated Portuguese youth, a situation that has to date attracted surprisingly little attention in terms of research or policy responses. This finding leads us to conclude that we may be witnessing a Portuguese ‘missing middle’ phenomenon, demonstrating a form of youth disadvantage different to that traditionally experienced in countries such as the UK.

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Portugal; Lisbon; Missing middle; Tertiary-educated youth; Economic crisis; Austerity

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