Harvard poll finds Millennials have little faith in government, media

A new poll suggest that today's youth have very little faith in government and the media. It also suggests that traditional media and news coverage is seldom used and today's youth primarily get information from social media not big box news outlets.

Source

The results show a generation confident in scientific research but deeply distrustful of government, the American justice system and the media.

The disconnect between politians and issues concerning young adults is staggering. Some 83% have acknowledged no trust or faith in congress and expressed very little faith in the justice system at a 50/50 percent margin.

(Source above)

Whether Democrat or Republican, most millennials (83%) show no faith in Congress. The majority Republican legislature is failing to address the issues Millennials care most about.

“Millennials are on a completely different page than most politicians in Washington, D.C.,” Della Volpe says. “This is a more cynical generation when it comes to political institutions.”

Better understanding today's youth and concerns can better help us as a nation grow. However speaking, it is them that will carry the torch and light the way for future generations to come.

a reply to: Daedal

This could be generation liberty.

One can only hope!

a reply to: Daedal

I believe this. The old farts in government who don't understand the internet that well are still trying to dupe us with the propaganda techniques of yesteryear. Except the millennials, with their firm grasp of the internet, can quite easily sift through that propaganda and see it for what it is.

Case in point: Drug reform. Government is steadfast on its 1980's anti-drug propaganda (that was all made up on the spot and has little to no science backing it) and millennials pretty much all don't believe any of it anymore because they can just google it and see that it is flawed.

This is a little disturbing and scary to me.

A disconnect so large among this segment of the population would make it ripe for a charismatic leader will ill intentions to sweep in and setup an monarchy of sorts.

Harvard poll finds Millennials have little faith in government, media

huh? Imagine that!

Who does have faith in government? It's hard to ignore the corruption.. Especially in the justice system...

But.. but were supposed to be a grand transparent utopian society under the new earth god Oblama!!!

Millennials are on a completely different page than most politicians in Washington, D.C.,” Della Volpe says. “This is a more cynical generation when it comes to political institutions.”

Cynical.. Or realistic?

The mask is slowly starting to come off for people in every generation.

Government has given this generation little to be proud of. A complicit media rarely even hides its bias nowadays. I'm glad people are waking up. We need to shake things up before Hillary Bush gets elected

Wow who ever conducted this poll must not live on the same Earth I do.

Look at the present racial tensions. Millennials are spoon fed by the media what to believe and how to feel about certain groups of people and they eat it up.

I have seen very little critical thinking skills or the ability to separate themselves from the hive mentality.

Polls can be skewed by method of data Gathering technique or by reporting information only favorable to what the takers want.
I agree with many of the posters on this thread. There are incredibly disillusioned youth as with any generation and also incredibly vapid youth furthering our chances for idiocracy. People are more growingly concerned about their 15 minutes of fame. Yet they are indeed shunning the former major news sites and major networks in droves (but so are MANY others including most of the Gen Xers I know).

The next election cycle will be won on social media. More people will watch or follow the debates on Twitter than the networks, possibly all networks combined.

I had to learn what a hashtag was in the media sense just to try to keep up...I'm only 39! THEY will be inheriting the earth one day as long as the old folks dont get twitchy with their Cold War bombs and ideologies...I want to be able to communicate with them.

huh? Imagine that!

Who does have faith in government? It's hard to ignore the corruption.. Especially in the justice system...

I have to question where the youth today are getting those feelings. I would suggest their parents are the ones who have lost faith in government. Their kids are just repeating what is being heard and debated in the home.

How many of us during our teen years even payed attention to current events let alone government policies? We were all doing our own thing and the least thing we cared about was politics and the nightly news. We got our news from our parents debating about current events and politics during dinner. So I would question how much of this poll is more a reflection on today's parents rather than today's text obsessive youth.

I have a lot of late 20's early 30's friends that parrot whatever Fox News and MSNBC tell them. Their Facebook feeds update them from the various big media news outlets on what's "important".

I know very few people that have original thoughts and ideas. We'd like to pat ourselves on the back, high five one another and think we're so original ... in reality we're just remixing the same tired old propaganda lines and memes, handed down to us through decades of social programming.

*yawn* It's a bit early for me to get off on this topic ...

a reply to: MoreBeer

Just cause people don't agree with you doesn't mean they lack critical thinking.

Both sides of what is going on are being hasty in the current situation.

And lots of those folks on the ground don't care for the media that just reports the bad and none of the good. So not sure what you are getting at.

a reply to: MystikMushroom

I think between your post and WeRpeons post above it, you've both hit it well.
The first influence on most of us politically speaking is family, even if it is lack of influence, followed by friends. Social media combines the opinions from both of those (as well as others) at near instant speeds where they can argue back and forth.
Of course the youth are disillusioned...what youth arent?
"Just Sayin'"...

One big reason could be that this generation has been failed by their parents.

IMO this poll merely tells governments and media that it's time to rework their messages for millennials, who now comprise 1/3rd of our country's population (the largest generation in the US as of 2013). What was acceptable to the baby boomers - and Gen Xers, to some extent - won't work on these intelligent tech-driven whippersnappers.

a reply to: Daedal


It is very easy to be idealistic when you have no risk. This generation has a -2 savings rate and many do not even leave the parents home or start families.



It is a symptom of a much bigger problem.....The decline of the financial and moral fiber of the US. Many young people picked college and guess what.......40-50% can not find a job in the field they studied. The government knew this was coming and took over all school loans so they could control the young people using debt.

as most of our generation has seen firsthand the results of being a slave to a system we never pleged sovereignty to, what could anyone expect. i know i can openly talk to people my age about how the government is out of control and ran by criminals and no one will disagree. how cops are criminals with badges, and they respond with a story of a loved one being murdered on his couch with no weapon by a cop, or how everyone is a criminal due to all the laws used to generate revenue, or how they got pulled over twice in an hour because they drove a cheap car that they didn't pay a large amount of tax or registration fees on. i could go on, but alot of people here say that if it comes down to it, they will fight to the death before they let their children be slaves. i say BIG changes are coming, one way or another..... and i doubt they will stop harassing us or give up their power peacefully.

a reply to: SubTruth

bingo. we have risk. seeing our children being locked up or shot because they won't take being robbed with a smile on their face.

originally posted by: Daedal

Better understanding today's youth and concerns can better help us as a nation grow. However speaking, it is them that will carry the torch and light the way for future generations to come.

Hopefully, they understand for every Action there is a Re-Action.

For all those who complain, I ask - - - what is your solution?