Young Americans Don't Trust the Government
........like, none of it
I remember March of 2020 very well, and I think we all do. We were all hanging on by a thread, waiting for the next decree from above about what we could and couldn’t do. None of it made any sense. The best example was the restaurant tents: you couldn’t go inside, but you could dine in an outdoor setup that mimicked the indoors.
At the time, my daughters were in Kindergarten and 5th grade when schools shut down in Minnesota, and by the time things returned to normal, they were in 3rd and 8th grades. My youngest fell behind in reading, while my oldest and her friends seemed like 7th graders on a field trip to high school. I often wondered how this would affect their trust in government.
They saw their lives suddenly shut down at the snap of a finger. They watched their parents sneak them over to friends’ houses to sit in the yard. One day they had to wear masks, and the next day they didn’t. They witnessed adults getting angry with one another because none of us knew how to handle the situation, and the guidance was devoid of any logical consistency. At the time, the big picture didn’t resonate, but it certainly does now.
We can now see how this has played out. A piece from Politico is an interesting read: “The spring 2025 Harvard Youth Poll reflects a deepening lack of trust in government institutions from a generation that came of age during the Covid-19 pandemic and now faces heightened economic uncertainty.” I understand this is just one survey, but I believe these results are quite accurate. According to the poll, only 19 percent of respondents expressed trust in the federal government "to do the right thing most or all of the time."
This issue goes far beyond the mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic, but I believe that’s where it began. Congress, the President, Democrats, Republicans, and the Supreme Court all failed to break the 30 percent trust mark. My concern is that this will lead to a completely disengaged generation and that our institutions will begin to falter. Common sense should apply here: I wouldn’t trust a seedy motel to provide a good overnight experience, so I don’t stay at them. Why in the world would any Gen Z kid put any faith (or time and effort) into institutions that have largely failed them?
This is a good opportunity for the Millennial Generation to seriously consider how we want to conduct ourselves as we step into leadership roles. Are we going to continue the tribal discourse we see now, or will we heed this warning and get our act together? I sincerely hope it will be the latter.
Such a thought provoking article. I remember how rough my daughter who was 10 at the time had it during that year or so. She hates online learning and would get frustrated so quickly.
Distrusting the government for them is a real thing, not some angsty rebellion but a legit concern. To your point, the torch is essentially in our grasp from the boomers. Despite where people land in this modern, superbowl like “my team vs your team” politics, the system is actually broken. Honestly, what the hell does congress do? Presidents sign mandates now. Congress majority is used as a game of checkers and the justice system lower than the supreme court are just political weapons. We need to try to fix things.