C&S believes today’s young adults are particularly poised to strengthen democracy. As we head into a Presidential election year and when more than 31 million 18–24-year-olds are shaping the future of our country, the time is now to unleash this generation’s civic potential.
Turning Warning Signs into Opportunities for Democracy
The Civic Outlook of Young Adults in America is a first-of-its-kind national survey of 18–24-year-old Americans that sheds light on their civic knowledge, civic engagement, and commitment to democracy. Part of our multi-year research initiative to measure holistic youth civic preparedness in America, Citizens & Scholars commissioned Citizen Data to conduct a poll that surveyed 4,008 young adults across the country.
Civic Knowledge
40% were able to correctly answer only one out of four civics questions
Civic Engagement
33% indicated no intention to participate civically in 2024, including voting
Civic Commitment
57% are dissatisfied with American democracy
The survey reveals a warning sign for American democracy. Americans aged 18 to 24 are dissatisfied with the political system and pessimistic about democracy, lack critical civic knowledge and trust in government institutions, and are less likely to vote in the 2024 election than the general population. However, there are grounds for optimism in this demographic. They exhibit a lower degree of ideological and partisan polarization, are proud to be American, reject political violence, and collectively prioritize democratic values.
The survey also confirms an important characteristic of young adults: their potential and motivation to play a vital role in strengthening democracy, but they must be engaged in a meaningful way. This will require talking to, learning from, and collaborating with Gen Z to understand what’s underneath the tensions present in these data on productive engagement and commitment to democracy.
