Gen Z has a message for America: We don’t trust you. A long-running poll conducted by the Harvard Kennedy School, considered a “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, aged 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.
Only a small share of young Americans think the country is headed in the right direction, while a clear majority say the United States is on the wrong track, or are unsure where it is going at all. Behind that pessimism is money: More than four in 10 young people (43%) say they are struggling or getting by with only limited financial security, echoing similar findings from Harvard’s spring survey earlier this year. High housing costs, rising prices, and student debt have turned what older generations once framed as a time of exploration into a period of relentless financial triage.
