Youth Trust Peers, Local Government, and Institutions They See Taking Action

Posted by Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement on July 8, 2025

Young people’s lack of trust in institutions is one of the major challenges to maintaining or strengthening their connection to democracy. It can also be an opportunity: as threats to democratic institutions and values build in the U.S. and around the world, it is vital to outline strategies that can reignite young people’s connections to institutions and understanding of their civic power ahead of the 2026 elections and beyond. CIRCLE’s (Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) new data on youth trust in institutions paints a complicated picture of youth distrust, how it relates to civic action, and what we can learn from it to inform future efforts.

CIRCLE’s recent report, How Does Gen Z Really Feel About Democracy?, published in partnership with the nonpartisan nonprofit Protect Democracy, highlighted the precarious relationship between trust in institutions and young people’s civic development. One major finding: the most civically engaged young people, who we say show a Hostile Dissatisfaction toward democracy, tend to be less trusting of institutions. This aligns with past CIRCLE research, that highlights a connection between young people who are paying attention to and engaging with institutions and a certain degree of cynicism and disillusionment. Our research also found that only 16% of 18- to 29-year-olds believe democracy is working well for young people.

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