Study shows just 2% of Gen Z students in PA trust government and elected leaders

Results from a listening project that surveyed thousands of Generation Z students at Pennsylvania colleges and universities shows major trust issues between Gen Z voters and elected leaders, with just 2.1% of Gen Z students believing that elected officials make decisions in young people’s best interests – and 75.9% saying they don’t.

The listening project, conducted by Project 26 Pennsylvania, an organization founded in 2023 to promote youth civic engagement and student organizing in the state, participated in open-ended, organizer-initiated conversations with 2,802 students across 16 universities in the state, including schools in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Gettysburg, Bloomsburg, Harrisburg, Lancaster and State College.

The conversations were conducted in two waves: The first took place from February to April and asked 1,736 students general questions about current events; the second wave featured 1,066 student conversations that took place from April through May and focused on questions about election leaders’ decisions, what motivates them politically and their thoughts on Elon Musk, among other topics.

In the listening project’s second wave, 1,066 students were asked whether “elected officials and government staff are making decisions for the best interest of young people.” That led to the sobering finding that just 2.1% of those interviewed believe that government officials and their staff act in their best interests. 

“I think what really stands out to me is the idea that Gen Z are deeply concerned about issues that impact them, but they overwhelmingly don’t believe that leaders are working for them,” Aimee Van Cleave, the interim state director for Project 26 Pennsylvania, told City & State in an interview. 

“When you couple that with the idea that they said they want to be active in their political life – but what motivates them most to do that is the idea that that action would make a difference – we’re seeing a group of people who have simply identified a disconnect between their felt needs, their agency and the idea of politics as usual,” Van Cleave said. “That disillusionment just shows a breakdown of trust in institutions.”

The students were asked what would most influence them to take action to improve their campus, community or country: 52.9% said they would be more motivated if they felt that their action would make a difference, while just 15.9% said their motivation would be driven by whether they thought taking action would be fun or entertaining.

The listening project also asked Gen Z students whether they’ve been impacted by policy changes at the federal level under President Donald Trump’s administration, where they get their information about current events, and what their concerns are about the future. 

Students’ open-ended responses about the future were classified into categories using artificial intelligence. The top issue worrying students about the future was determined to be social polarization, with 583 of the 1,066 students mentioning the issue. Civil rights rollbacks were referenced by 486 students in the second wave of conversations, and 470 students identified the state of international and global affairs as a top concern for the future. Just 11.3% referenced climate change and the environment, according to the results.

In the 2024 presidential election cycle, President Donald Trump saw an increase in support among Gen Z voters compared to his 2020 campaign, and a recent poll suggests his approval rating with Gen Z adults is also rising, according to Newsweek.

Of the 1,066 Gen Z students who were asked whether they were personally impacted by Trump administration policies and decisions, 433, or 40.6%, said they had been impacted; 296 students, or 27.8%, said they had seen no personal impact; and 336 students, or 31.5%, said they were uncertain.

Project 26 leaders said the findings of their project demonstrate the importance of actively listening to younger voters, rather than trying to court their votes only when a major election comes around.

“We’re seeing so much focus on the influencer economy, and not enough focus on the trust economy,” Van Cleave said. “So instead of spending millions of dollars trying to get your message in front of young people, elected officials could really benefit from taking time and energy to go out and talk to young people, go out and get on college campuses, do a town hall session at a university.”

Connie Miller, the founder and former executive director of Project 26 Pennsylvania, said college organizing programs, elected leaders and political candidates need to “make it clear that they are incorporating what they hear directly into their policy platforms and how they're organizing, including the leadership positions that they are creating for young people.”

Miller pointed to New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, a state representative who is the Democratic nominee for mayor in this year’s election, as a politician who has found success engaging with Gen Z voters by approaching them with a desire to listen. “He started his campaign with a listening tour. Being able to put together a policy platform that offered concrete and immediate solutions for the daily cost of living for his potential constituents, I think it really did a lot to build trust fast for him,” Miller said. 

In September, City & State New York reported that, at a time when candidates across the aisle are looking to court young men, Mamdani has sought to craft viral social media videos to connect with young voters. He’s also engaged with popular streamers on the political left like Hasan Piker, and organized a canvass outside of a New York Knicks playoff game at Madison Square Garden. 

As for how elected leaders, organizers and campaigns can build off the data collected by Project 26 Pennsylvania, Miller said building trust with Gen Z will require investments, as well as involving young people in the process. 

“I think we need investment – continued, sustained investment – in trust-building with this generation of voters,” Miller added. “They have made a very pragmatic assessment that the status quo is not working for them. Last-minute turnout programs are not going to cut it when it comes to rebuilding that trust and helping them be a part of setting a vision for the future.”