In the US Presidential Election Climate... Over Half of Generation Z "Hardly Trust the President or Congress"

Gallup "51% of US Generation Z Distrust Government"
Widespread Distrust in Legislative and Judicial Branches Too

As the U.S. presidential election approaches and political polarization deepens in American society, a survey revealed that nearly half of Generation Z (born 1997?2006) does not trust the government.

According to Axios on the 20th (local time), Gallup conducted a survey between April 26 and May 9 this year targeting 4,157 Americans aged 12 to 27. The survey results showed that 51% of respondents said they "almost do not trust" the president, a majority. Axios reported that this figure is 4 percentage points higher than the same survey conducted last year.

On the other hand, only 14% of respondents said they trust the president "very much" or "quite a bit."

A large number of police officers were deployed in downtown Chicago, Illinois, on the 18th (local time), one day before the Democratic National Convention in the United States. On the same day, a large-scale anti-war protest was held in front of the Democratic National Convention venue. (Photo by Yonhap News)

Distrust toward the legislative and judicial branches was also widespread. Respondents who said they "almost do not trust" Congress and the federal Supreme Court accounted for 53% and 44% respectively. Notably, respondents who were of voting age (18 years and older) showed lower trust in the government compared to those still attending middle and high school.

However, Axios added, "This survey was conducted before Vice President Kamala Harris emerged as the Democratic presidential candidate, and at that time, former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, was leading President Joe Biden in many battleground states, gaining momentum."

Meanwhile, in a separate survey conducted from the 16th to the 20th of this month targeting Generation Z voters in seven key battleground states, after President Biden’s resignation last month and Vice President Harris’s rapid rise as the 'Trump challenger,' Harris led Trump by 32 percentage points.

The survey, conducted by the Generation Z nonprofit organization "Tomorrow's Voters," targeted 1,601 adults aged 18 to 29 in Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, Nevada, and Wisconsin. Two-thirds of respondents answered "very likely" or "definitely will" when asked if they would visit the polls and cast a vote in the upcoming election on November 5.