Young Americans think democracy is ‘in trouble’

In the eyes of young Americans, President Biden’s approval rating is taking a nosedive.

That’s according to a new Harvard poll, that adds young would-be voters also have a sinking opinion of American democracy.

A national poll of 18- to 29-year-olds by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School indicates that 52% of them believe that our democracy is “in trouble,” at 39%, or “failing,” at 13%.

The president’s approval rating among this group is low — just 46%. That’s still higher than his overall approval rating at about 42%. Among young Democrats, Biden’s approval rating is 75%, a 10 percentage point drop from this spring. Among Republicans, it’s a dismal 9%, a 13 percentage point drop from the spring.

“We have twice as many young Americans describe the state of our democracy as failed as compared to being healthy,” said IOP Polling Director John Della Volpe. “The message is pretty clear that both Democrats, Republicans and independents are seriously concerned about the state of our democracy.”

The Fall 2021 survey, the latest in an over 20-year tradition, surveyed over 2,100 young adults between October 26 and November 8, spanning topics including mental health, COVID-19, climate change and foreign policy.

Not only do young people worry about the state of democracy, some also worry about a full-scale civil war erupting in America. The group estimates that there’s a 35% chance that they’ll see a second civil war in their lifetime, and a 25% chance that at least one state secedes. That belief skews Republican: 46% of that group thinks a civil war has an over 50% likelihood, while only 32% of Democrats think it could happen.

Young people also feel especially pessimistic about the state of the climate. “Young people see that climate change is here and/or coming, but government action remains absent,” said Jing-jing Shen, 23, student chair of the project.