The Myth of Youth Apathy -- Charles F. Kettering Foundation

# yesterday, 09:01 AM
nancy.wolanski@unitedwayri.org	The Myth of Youth Apathy By Jason Vadnos Every time I hear someone say, “Gen Z doesn’t care about democracy,” I wish I could have them spend a day in my shoes as a civically engaged college student. I’ve watched my fellow students negotiate with local election officials to open polling places on campus. Through my work with organizations like the Campus Vote Project, I’ve seen my peers at community colleges, research universities, and HBCUs build diverse coalitions across student government, cultural organizations, and service clubs to help get out the vote. Beyond campus, I’ve seen hundreds of my fellow Gen Zers choose public service careers, not because it’s easy, but because they’re tired of watching problems pile up in their community while our leaders do nothing. According to Is Democracy Working? the first report from the Kettering-Gallup Democracy for All Project, young adults today are more skeptical of democracy than older generations. But we must not mistake skepticism for apathy. My lived experiences and a wealth of research show that the idea of Gen Z being apathetic about democracy is nothing more than a myth. The Numbers Tell a Complicated Story The data from the Kettering-Gallup Democracy for All Project is striking. Just 53% of adults aged 18 to 29 believe democracy is the best form of government compared to 80% of those 65 and older. Moreover, 52% of Gen Z survey respondents claimed that democracy is performing poorly, and only 19% stated that it was functioning well. Unfortunately, these findings are not outliers. Research from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation found that Gen Zers had extremely low levels of trust in Congress, the news, the presidency, and other democratic institutions, while a recent Harvard Youth Poll revealed that only 13% of young Americans believed that the country was headed in the right direction. But while Gen Z may have detached or negative feelings toward the current state of American democracy, that does not mean they are disengaged. The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University has historically tracked youth voting trends and found that both 2020 and 2024 were historically high years for young adult turnout. As a student at Vanderbilt University, I’ve seen my peers volunteering at tables outside of dormitories, dining halls, and classrooms to register hundreds of fellow students to vote and encourage them to go to the polls. If young people truly didn’t care, they wouldn’t be showing up! Read full article

# yesterday, 09:01 AM

The Myth of Youth Apathy

By Jason Vadnos

Every time I hear someone say, “Gen Z doesn’t care about democracy,” I wish I could have them spend a day in my shoes as a civically engaged college student. I’ve watched my fellow students negotiate with local election officials to open polling places on campus. Through my work with organizations like the Campus Vote Project, I’ve seen my peers at community colleges, research universities, and HBCUs build diverse coalitions across student government, cultural organizations, and service clubs to help get out the vote. Beyond campus, I’ve seen hundreds of my fellow Gen Zers choose public service careers, not because it’s easy, but because they’re tired of watching problems pile up in their community while our leaders do nothing.

According to Is Democracy Working? the first report from the Kettering-Gallup Democracy for All Project, young adults today are more skeptical of democracy than older generations. But we must not mistake skepticism for apathy. My lived experiences and a wealth of research show that the idea of Gen Z being apathetic about democracy is nothing more than a myth.

The Numbers Tell a Complicated Story

The data from the Kettering-Gallup Democracy for All Project is striking. Just 53% of adults aged 18 to 29 believe democracy is the best form of government compared to 80% of those 65 and older. Moreover, 52% of Gen Z survey respondents claimed that democracy is performing poorly, and only 19% stated that it was functioning well. Unfortunately, these findings are not outliers. Research from Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation found that Gen Zers had extremely low levels of trust in Congress, the news, the presidency, and other democratic institutions, while a recent Harvard Youth Poll revealed that only 13% of young Americans believed that the country was headed in the right direction.

But while Gen Z may have detached or negative feelings toward the current state of American democracy, that does not mean they are disengaged. The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University has historically tracked youth voting trends and found that both 2020 and 2024 were historically high years for young adult turnout. As a student at Vanderbilt University, I’ve seen my peers volunteering at tables outside of dormitories, dining halls, and classrooms to register hundreds of fellow students to vote and encourage them to go to the polls. If young people truly didn’t care, they wouldn’t be showing up!

Read full article