WASHINGTON — Young Americans hold deeply pessimistic views of the nation's political parties and the economy, according to the 51st Harvard Youth Poll released Thursday.
President Donald Trump's overall approval rating stood at 29 percent among voters aged 18 to 29, a two-point drop from Harvard's previous spring survey. His handling of the economy drew an even lower approval rating of 26 percent.
Federal lawmakers fared no better. Congressional Democrats recorded an approval rating of 27 percent; Republicans in Congress saw 26 percent.
Sentiment inside the parties varied sharply. Nearly half—48 percent—of younger Democrats used negative terms to describe their own party. Among younger Republicans, 25 percent characterized the GOP negatively.
Thirty-five percent of Democrats offered positive remarks about their party, compared with 46 percent of Republicans who expressed positive views of the GOP.
Despite those internal Democratic struggles, the poll offers the party a potential edge in the 2026 midterms. Among registered voters surveyed, 46 percent expressed a preference for Democratic control of Congress.
That number is a warning sign for Republicans. The party relied on gains among younger voters to win the White House and the Senate, and to hold its House majority, in last year's elections. Sustaining those majorities in 2026 now faces real headwinds.
The Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, which conducted the poll, said young Americans maintain consistently low views of national leadership, reflecting a perception that political figures are unresponsive to pressing economic and technological pressures.
