Poll: Young Americans’ faith in the federal government sinks to record low

A growing number of young people are losing faith in the country’s political system, according to a new poll from the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School. John Della Volpe, the institute’s director of polling, joined MS NOW’s “Morning Joe” on Wednesday to break down the results and discuss the key findings.

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“This is the 52nd survey that we’ve conducted, and I don’t think we’ve seen a survey where younger people are so concerned about the future of our country,” Della Volpe said, noting that 59% of young Americans told pollsters they believe the U.S. is on the wrong track. “We’ve never seen a number higher than that,” he said.

The institute surveyed 2,018 young people ages 18 to 29 between March 26 and April 3, with interviews conducted in English and Spanish. The margin of error for the total sample is ± 2.74%.

Della Volpe also highlighted another record-low reading from the survey: the level of trust young people have in their own government. Only 15% said they have faith the federal government would do the right thing all or most of the time.

One of the chief concerns causing that low level of trust, according to the poll, is the economy. Roughly half of young Americans told pollsters that they are personally affected “a lot” by inflation and rising housing prices. Nearly the same amount defined both of these issues as urgent national crises.