Trust in federal government fell to 15% among young Americans

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and USAFacts survey released Wednesday shows that almost 6 in 10 Americans say they trust the government “only a little” or not at all,” with 34 percent of American adults saying ...

Young Americans are caught between political awareness and political powerlessness, with trust in the federal government at an all-time low of 15% and nearly three-quarters calling elected officials selfish

Trust in government is at a historic low, but it’s not gone altogether. The Partnership for Public Service’s 2025 survey found that only one in three Americans (33%) trust the federal government to do what’s right. Nearly half expressed outright distrust, and about two-thirds said they view Washington as corrupt or wasteful.

This view is especially pronounced among young adults. A national survey conducted by the Partnership for Public Service in the spring of 2024 found that just 15% of 18–34-year-olds in the U.S.

Just 17% of Americans now say they trust the government in Washington to do what is right “just about always” (2%) or “most of the time” (15%).

Trust in the federal government has fallen to 15 percent among young Americans, the lowest level ever recorded by the Harvard Youth Poll, according to the spring 2026 edition of the poll released Thursday.

Only 15% of young Americans said they trust the federal government to do the right thing all or most of the time. That's the lowest level recorded by the Harvard Youth Poll in 26 years.

A new AP-NORC/USA Facts poll finds ... a few years ago, with majorities now saying they have little or no trust in federal government information about elections, foreign affairs or the environment....

The share of Americans expressing ... about health care declined from 26% to 16%, the environment from 21% to 12%, jobs and unemployment from 25% to 15%, abortion from 21% to 11%, and elections and politics from 22% to ...