Emerging research shows that Generation Z (Americans born between 1997 and 2012) are becoming one of the least trusting generations in modern U.S. history. According to a major Gallup and Walton Family Foundation survey, Gen Z reports extremely low confidence and trust in almost every major institution connected to government and democracy. While older Americans have also seen a decline in trust, Gen Z’s drop has been sharper than all other generations, raising real questions about the future of democracy and trust in the people in authority.
The survey found that fewer than one in six Gen Z members trust Congress, the presidency, the news, or large tech companies. The only field trusted by a majority of Gen Z is science, which 71% say they believe in “a great deal” or “quite a lot.” This sentiment shifts significantly when looking at older generations, who tend to have more trust in the system. While more than 60% of Gen Z respondents believe the design and structure of the government needs significant change, only 46% of Baby Boomers (age 65 and older) agree.
As the survey found, Gen Z distrust of traditional institutions is quite high. When asked about how much they trust the news, only 4% of Gen Z said they trust it “a great deal,” while the majority were more pessimistic, with 41% saying they trust the news “very little.” Trust in Congress is even lower. Only 4% of Gen Z trust Congress “a great deal”, and the largest share, 46%, say that they trust Congress “very little.”
While these statistics are crucial to understanding the severity of the problem, the question that matters more is why young people feel this way.
Gen Z has grown up watching constant political arguments and government shutdowns, with leaders refusing to compromise. For many teenagers and young adults, Congress looks like it is stuck endlessly in conflict, instead of resolving problems. Gen Z cares deeply about many global issues, like climate change, gun violence, and affordable college; however, these issues are often discussed without any real action being taken.
Because Gen Z spends a lot of time online, they know how quickly misinformation and biased content spreads. They frequently see news clips taken out of context, AI videos that are completely fake, and understand that social platforms promote this content because it gets more views and interactions. However, many people in Gen Z know this information is not reliable, and this constant uncertainty fuels Gen Z’s skepticism.
“It’s so confusing what to trust anymore,” Annabelle Case, a junior at AHS who plans to vote for the first time in the 2028 presidential election, said. “Every time I scroll… I see different versions of the same story and the same political speech, but with different editing of words, which gives it a whole different message. Sometimes, I just feel like the whole political system, not just Instagram, is trying to confuse me.”
A third major reason is the feeling that institutions do not fulfill their promises. Many young people say they see political leaders making big promises that are not acted upon, which makes it harder to trust anything the government says. For example, during President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign, he promised to replace the Affordable Care Act with something much better, posting on Truth Social in November 2023, “I don’t want to terminate Obamacare, I want to REPLACE IT with MUCH BETTER HEALTHCARE. Obamacare Sucks!!!” However, no full replacement was ever proposed or passed. President Trump also promised that Mexico would pay for the border wall, but taxpayers ended up covering most of the cost instead. When young people see leaders make bold statements that don’t match the final results, it creates a feeling that the system is not built to serve them.
Still, the story isn’t completely negative. Many adolescents in Gen Z say they believe they have a bright future and feel connected to causes bigger than themselves. Younger teens (ages 12-18) even show more trust in institutions than older Gen Z adults. In the end, Gen Z’s distrust means they care enough to want a system that they can believe in.
