Young people mistrust Wall Street, the media, Facebook and Twitter by a margin of well over three to one.
A new Harvard Institute of Politics poll shows broad mistrust in institutions among young Americans from Wall Street to the media and tech companies. Young people mistrust Wall Street, the media, Facebook and Twitter by a margin of well over three to one and believe the Democratic Party is too extreme by a margin of 36% to 31%.
By a margin of 35% to 24% young Americans believe social media has had a net negative impact on Democracy, and young Whites say so by a margin of over two to one (44% to 17%).
By a margin of 35% to 24% young Americans believe social media has had a net negative impact on Democracy.
Young people were asked to indicate how often they trust various institutions including the President, the military, the Supreme Court, Wall Street, and tech platforms. Young people do not trust a single institution ‘all or most of the time’, and instead say they trust each institution listed ‘sometimes or never’.
The institutions with the highest levels of trust are the military (young people trust the military 49% to 50%) and the Supreme Court (young people trust the Supreme Court 47% to 51%).
Institutions with the lowest levels of trust are Facebook (young people mistrust Facebook 79% to 19%), Wall Street (young people mistrust Wall Street 78% to 20%), Twitter (young people mistrust Twitter 78% to 21%), and the media (young people mistrust the media 76% to 22%).
Levels of mistrust in institutions are significantly higher among young Whites and lower among Hispanics and Blacks. For instance, just 14% of young Whites trust Twitter while 30% of Blacks and 34% of Hispanics do. Only 16% of young Whites trust Wall Street, while 24% of Blacks and 28% of Hispanics do. However, young Whites trust state and local government and the Supreme Court at higher rates than young Blacks and Hispanics do.
Just 14% of young Whites trust Twitter while 30% of Blacks and 34% of Hispanics do.
Young people mistrust the President 61% to 38%, and this coincides with a significant drop in President Biden’s approval rating since his inauguration.
Young people mistrust the President 61% to 38%, and this coincides with a significant drop in President Biden’s approval rating since his inauguration.
As Market Research Foundation pointed out last week President Biden’s poll numbers have plummeted 12 points since January among young people and just 54% of eighteen- to twenty-nine-year-olds approve of Biden. Young Whites disapprove of Biden 50% to 48%, and young rural Americans disapprove of Biden 55% to 42%.
Young Whites disapprove of Biden 50% to 48%, and young rural Americans disapprove of Biden 55% to 42%.
Democratic identity slipped modesty compared to one year ago while Republican identity remained the same and Independent identity rose modestly.
Comparing this year’s poll to the spring 2020 Harvard youth poll, Democrat identity has slipped 2 points from 43% to 41%, Republican identity has remained the same at 22%, and Independent identity has risen one point from 35% to 36%. Young men’s Democratic identity slipped six points from 42% in 2020 to 36% in 2021, while young women’s Democratic identity rose 3 points from 43% in 2020 to 46% in 2021.
Young men’s Democratic identity slipped six points from 42% in 2020 to 36% in 2021, while young women’s Democratic identity rose 3 points from 43% in 2020 to 46% in 2021.
Young people overwhelmingly agree the Democratic Party is too extreme, and this view is held disproportionately among young men, college students, and rural and suburbanites.
These findings are a continuation of a trend toward Independent affiliation among young people, and a rejection of the two-party system. Market Research Foundation’s body of research on Generation Z shows a consistent Independent identity and deep mistrust of the mainstream media and celebrity culture.
We asked Generation Z to allocate points out of 100 to one or more categories they felt influenced their views. The largest influence for young people is was not the media or big tech, but their parents, followed by their own morals and ethics and then their friends.
The largest influence for young people is not the media or big tech, but their parents, followed by their own morals and ethics and then their friends.
Social media, celebrities, teachers and politicians ranked significantly lower on Gen Z’s list of influencers. Below is Gen Z’s ranking of the influences in their lives.
These latest findings on young Americans show a generation with little trust in large institutions, and this is especially common among young Whites. In the age of constant censorship, deplatforming, and the silencing of alternative views, young people are increasingly mistrustful of institutions, particularly Wall Street and big tech. This mistrust among Generation Z is growing, and understanding it will be an important element to analyzing the independent youth vote.
