A new national survey from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics reveals a sharp decline in support for congressional Democrats among Americans aged 18 to 29, while approval ratings for President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have remained relatively stable over the past eight years.
The data is part of the 50th Harvard Youth Poll, conducted between March 14 and 25, and released Wednesday. It indicates that just 23% of young Americans currently approve of the job congressional Democrats are doing. This represents a significant drop from 42% in the spring of 2017, when President Trump first took office.
In contrast, approval ratings for congressional Republicans among the same age group have remained steady, increasing marginally from 28% in 2017 to 29% in 2025. President Trump’s approval rating among young Americans stands at 31% in the new survey, which is largely unchanged from previous results. In the spring of 2017, 32% approved of Trump’s performance, and that figure was 29% in the fall of 2020.
This year’s survey arrives as Trump approaches the 100-day mark of his second term in the White House. He returned to office following the November 2024 elections, in which Republicans also regained control of the Senate and held onto a slim majority in the House of Representatives.
The Harvard Youth Survey is one of several recent national surveys showing a downturn in public sentiment toward the Democratic Party. A Gallup poll conducted April 1–14 found that confidence in Democratic leadership in Congress dropped to a record-low 25%, down from the previous low of 34% recorded in 2023. The Gallup findings include a substantial 41-point drop in confidence among Democrats themselves.
Job performance trendline in new Harvard Youth Poll: https://t.co/NrHNmvdHCF pic.twitter.com/Anov5nYmfG
— Patrick Svitek (@PatrickSvitek) April 23, 2025
Additional polling from Quinnipiac University in February, and from CNN and NBC News in March, also showed favorability ratings for the Democratic Party falling to their lowest recorded levels.
The Harvard Youth Survey also found widespread pessimism among young Americans about the direction of the country. Just 15% of those surveyed believe the country is heading in the right direction, while 51% say it is on the wrong track. When asked to compare the current state of the country under President Trump to the previous administration, 41% said conditions were better during President Joe Biden’s term. Only 25% said things are better now under Trump, while 14% saw no difference and 17% were unsure.
The data suggest ongoing political shifts among younger voters. Traditionally considered a core constituency for the Democratic Party, younger Americans, along with Black and Hispanic voters, showed increased support for Republican candidates in the most recent election cycle. These gains played a role in the Republican Party’s electoral success in 2024.
Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll:
– 66% say Democrats should take a wait-and-see approach to Trump’s actions.
– 66% say Democrats should join the mission to cut government waste.
– 52% say Democrats deliberately kept the border open for illegal aliens.
– 70% say hiring should be based… pic.twitter.com/l01Yk5ld0J— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) February 24, 2025
The survey also captures internal frustration among Democratic voters, with some in the party expressing dissatisfaction with their congressional leadership’s response to Trump’s policies. Since returning to the office, Trump has moved swiftly to reduce the size of the federal government and reverse a number of policies enacted during the Biden administration.
The Harvard Youth Poll surveyed 2,098 young Americans aged 18 to 29 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.86 percentage points.
