Gen Z has a message for America: We don’t trust you. A long-running poll conducted by the Harvard Kennedy School, considered the “gold standard” by many, offers up a disquieting conclusion. The 51st edition of the Harvard Youth Poll finds a generation defined by economic insecurity, deep anxiety about the future, and a corrosive distrust of the institutions that are supposed to help them thrive. For Gen Z and young millennials, instability is not a passing phase of early adulthood, but the organizing principle of daily life.
Young Americans in the fall edition of the poll report say their lives and futures feel unstable, marked by deep economic anxiety, eroding trust in institutions, and fraying social bonds. The survey of 2,040 young people, ages 18 to 29, depicts a cohort that is pessimistic about the country’s direction and skeptical that political leaders or systems are working for them.
