Gen Z Trusts Elections, But Not Washington

For younger voters, election-related corruption is less of a concern than for older generations.

Four percent of Gen Zers say they’re worried about election fraud and cheating ahead of the midterms, compared with 14 percent of millennials, 21 percent of Gen Xers and 23 percent of baby boomers, per a CBS/YouGov poll.

The results also show that young adults are more concerned with an “unwanted election outcome.” Seventeen percent of the age group is worried about it, compared with 13 percent of millennials and Gen Xers and 11 percent of boomers.

“Generally, Gen Z does not trust D.C.,” Dakota Hall, executive director of Alliance for Youth Action (AYA), told The Hill. “Nor is trust built for them in D.C. It’s built for them down the street.”

Politicians like New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D) serve as a case study into young adults’ trust in local politics. His campaigns to fix potholes and basketball courts, among other things that affect New Yorkers’ everyday lives, foster confidence in the city’s political system.

Hall quoted an interview that podcaster Theo Von conducted with Mamdani. “You’re just giving people a chance to breathe,” he told the mayor.

To Hall, this concept is key to young voters.

Reports of corruption in Washington, including the Jeffrey Epstein files or President Trump’s inflated earnings while in office, muddy the waters for Generation Z.

AYA polling from October found that corruption in the political system either tied or beat jobs and the economy as a top concern for young adults in the states it surveyed.

“A lot of people view the corruption as to why they can’t get a job,” Hall said. “A lot of young people were in favor of the DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] efforts because they thought it would even the playing field for them.”

In reality, the economic conditions have worsened as the cost of living has increased.

“Young people have the highest bulls‑‑‑ meter of all time, and they’re more informed than people believe them to be,” Hall said.

Gen Z may not be as tuned in to legacy media as older generations, but that does not make it less informed. Young adults get news on social media, including from influencers they grow to trust. This is similar to their interest in local politics: seeing familiar faces break down what’s happening and why it’s important.

Politicians are going to have to change their messaging to regain that trust, and it starts at elections.