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Harvard Youth Poll Finds Gen Z Deeply Pessimistic as Trust Erodes

The 51st Harvard Youth Poll reports instability shaping how 18- to 29-year-olds view their futures.

Students walk around the UCLA campus on Oct. 7, 2025, in Los Angeles.
Students cheer during the 374th Harvard Commencement in Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on May 29, 2025. US President Donald Trump is furious at Harvard for rejecting his administration's push for oversight on admissions and hiring, amid the president's claims the school is a hotbed of anti-Semitism and "woke" liberal ideology. (Photo by Rick Friedman / AFP) (Photo by RICK FRIEDMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Gen Z is struggling to have faith in much of anything.
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Overview

  • A 57% majority says the country is on the wrong track, and 64% describe U.S. democracy as in trouble or already failed.
  • Financial insecurity is widespread, with 43% struggling or only getting by, inflation cited as the top economic concern, and just 30% expecting to be better off than their parents.
  • AI is seen as a threat to opportunity by 59% of young adults, surpassing worries about immigration and outsourcing.
  • National leaders receive poor marks: President Trump’s approval sits at 29% overall (26% on the economy), while congressional Democrats are at 27% and Republicans at 26%.
  • Looking to 2026, registered young voters prefer Democratic control of Congress 46% to 29%, and 39% say political violence is acceptable under at least one circumstance.