A majority of young Americans now believe the democratic system is failing to address their most basic economic needs, according to the 52nd Harvard Youth Poll released Thursday by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School.
The national survey of more than 2,000 adults aged 18 to 29 found that inflation and housing costs have become the primary drivers of political and social alienation, with nearly half of the demographic reporting significant financial instability.
The poll indicates that the traditional path to upward mobility is narrowing. Only 29% of young Americans believe they will be financially better off than their parents, a significant decline from 38% in 2021.
“The economy is squeezing them,” said John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Institute of Politics. “Too many young Americans feel invisible to the people in power, let alone represented by them.”
The economic pressure coincides with a historic low in institutional trust. Trust in the federal government has fallen to 15%, while confidence in the military dropped from over half in 2018 to 39% today.
Niraj Shah, a freshman studying artificial intelligence for business, anticipates that securing a job will be harder than in previous years.
Shah said that although students traditionally would get an internship during their junior year and build a permanent job from there, the pressure begins as early as freshman year in today’s market.
“Nowadays, if you’re just an average student who hasn’t done any extracurriculars, it will be pretty hard for you to get a job,” Shah said.
According to a 2025 survey by ZipRecruiter, students who gained work experience during college doubled their odds of landing a job after graduation.