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Washington has only ever shown Gen Z gridlock. Now it risks losing them for good

Young adults' faith in Washington has fallen for years. Many now doubt November's midterms will be fair, and they're less likely to vote

Sergio Flores for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Nineteen-year-old Boston University freshman Julian Chea and his friends aren't happy with the current state of their country. They worry AI will eliminate the entry-level jobs they need to start their career, and they complain about how Washington has handled the war in Iran and the Epstein files. "There's a lot to worry about," he told the Boston Globe in April, "and it just really sucks because the government is just doing whatever they want."

Like Chea, few Americans under 30 trust the federal government. Just 15% have faith in it to do the right thing all or most of the time, according to a Harvard Youth Poll released this spring. That's the lowest share since the poll launched in 2000.

Many of them also feel shut out. Half say "people like me don't have any say about what the government does," and that includes young Republicans, whose party controls both the White House and Congress. A greater share doubts November's midterms will be run fairly, and when young people expect an unfair election, they're less likely to say they'll vote. The young people most fed up with Washington could end up with the least say over who runs it.

Young voters with steady midterm plans and little energy

Young Americans haven't exactly given up on voting. Only 7% told researchers at Tufts........

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