Recent polling shows a clear trend of deep frustration among young Americans with how U.S. democracy is performing, rather than rejection of democracy itself.
A Marquette Law School national poll finds about two‑thirds of 18–34‑year‑olds say U.S. democracy is not working, with only around one‑third saying it is working.
Harvard’s long-running Youth Poll shows similar trends, with roughly two-thirds of young respondents describing the U.S. as a democracy “in trouble” or already failed, and only about a third seeing it as functioning well.
At the same time, other polling indicates that most young adults still view democracy as the best form of government in principle, even as they doubt its current performance.
Youth‑civics surveys from Tufts and others show a trend where nearly two‑thirds of young people support democracy as a system, while roughly one‑third are more skeptical and somewhat more open to a “strong leader” or authoritarian alternatives.
Two thirds of young Americans say U.S. democracy is no longer working https://t.co/YWSiCrJumm pic.twitter.com/PWmiOMq6l7
— Political Polls (@PpollingNumbers) June 4, 2026
Additional polls pick up a persistent trend where notable minorities of young adults agree with statements like “democracy isn’t working” or even that “a dictatorship could be good,” reflecting experimentation and disillusionment rather than a solid pro‑authoritarian bloc.
Johns Hopkins’ SNF Agora report shows more than 60% of Gen Z say the design and structure of the U.S. government requires “significant change” regardless of who is elected.
Across recent studies of Gen Z and younger Millennials, you see a common pattern:
- Low trust in institutions and parties and a belief the two-party system is dysfunctional.
- A sense that politics is polarized and gridlocked, so policy doesn’t respond to their problems.
- Economic anxiety (housing, debt, wages) feeds the perception that the system works for others, not them.
- High exposure to political conflict via social media, but relatively low belief that conventional participation (voting, contacting officials) changes much.
Overall, the polling points to a gap between support for democratic ideals and confidence in U.S. democratic performance, driven by low institutional trust, economic anxiety, polarization, and a belief that the two‑party system is gridlocked and unresponsive to their needs.
