Over Half of Young Americans Believe Democracy Is Failing & Some Fear a Second Civil War

The majority of young Americans fear for the future of the country. A national poll of America’s 18- to 29-year-olds released Wednesday by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School indicates that a majority of young Americans believe that our democracy is “in trouble” or “failing” with nearly half of young Republicans saying there is a 50% chance or better that they will see a second civil war in their lifetime, compared to 32% of young Democrats and 38% of independent or unaffiliated voters.

NPR: The poll found that 52% of young people in the U.S. believe that the country’s democracy is either “in trouble” or “a failed democracy.” Just 7% said that democracy in the United States is “healthy.”

There are significant partisan divides. While young Democrats are roughly evenly split on whether U.S. democracy is functioning or in trouble, 70% of young Republicans reported that the country was either a democracy in trouble, or a failed democracy.

John Della Volpe, the Institute of Politics polling director, said that after turning out in record numbers in last year’s elections, “young Americans are sounding the alarm.”

“When they look at the America they will soon inherit, they see a democracy and climate in peril — and Washington as more interested in confrontation than compromise,” said Della Volpe, who advised the Biden presidential campaign on the youth vote. “Despite this, they seem as determined as ever to fight for the change they seek.”

While young voters leaned heavily Democratic in the 2020 election, the Harvard Youth Poll found that President Biden’s job approval rating is at 46% among voters age 18-29, while 51% disapprove.

That’s a 13-point drop since the last Harvard Youth Poll in March, when 59% of Americans 18-29 said they approved of Biden’s job performance.

The poll also raises some significant concerns about the mental health of those between the ages of 18-29 in the United States. The poll found that more than half (51%) of young Americans reported “feeling down, depressed, or hopeless” at times, and roughly a quarter reported thoughts of self-harm over a two-week period.

“Between 50-55 million young Americans are in this cohort, which means every day there are millions of millions of millions … who are struggling with this on a regular basis,” said Della Volpe.

A majority of 18- to 29-year-olds also reported that the coronavirus pandemic has changed them, with 14% saying that they had become a “very different person.” Young Democrats were more likely than young Republicans to say that the pandemic had changed them.

But overall, a majority said the pandemic has had a negative impact on their life. On that issue, there is no partisan divide: 51% of Democrats, 51% of Republicans and 52% of independents all say the pandemic has had a negative impact on their life.