Two-Thirds of Youth Have Shifted their Political Views in Recent Years

In recent years, there has been a lot of public conversation about young people’s rightward shift on the political spectrum. Youth were more likely to vote for President Trump in 2024 than in previous election cycles, and exit polls show that young voters in 2024 were more likely to identify as conservative than in 2020. However, that only captures shifts among youth who turned out to cast a ballot, who are not necessarily representative of all young people.

More recent data paints a more complex picture of young people’s political ideology. Suffolk polling from 2025 and Spring 2026 polling from Harvard suggest that young people are about evenly split between liberal, moderate, and conservative viewpoints. To continue exploring these trends ahead of the 2026 midterms, our pre-election poll conducted in partnership with When We All Vote asked young people whether their political views had changed in recent years. We share data from that question here, along with additional insights on how young people’s political views are—or are not—changing.

About the Survey: When We All Vote and CIRCLE jointly developed a 30-question survey designed to capture key attitudes and aspects of Gen Z’s political engagement. Embold Research fielded the survey to a sample of 5,549 adults between the ages of 18-29 nationally in the U.S., and it was conducted between January 26 and February 12, 2026. The sample included oversamples of Gen Z adults identifying as Black or Latino, as well as oversamples of the same populations within specific states of interest. The modeled margin of error for this survey is +/- 2.5%. A detailed accounting of the methodology, including more information about a data issue related to questions in which respondents could choose multiple options, is available in the full initial report.

Among Youth Whose Views Changed, More Moved to the Left

Overall, two-thirds of young people in our survey said that their political views have changed in some way in recent years, while a third reported that their views have mostly stayed the same. Youth whose views did shift were almost twice as likely to become more liberal/progressive (28%) instead of more conservative (15%). Thirteen percent reported they moved more towards the center, and 11% reported their views had shifted in “some other way.

By Party: Half of Young Democrats Moving Left

Perhaps unsurprisingly, about half (45%) of youth who identify as Republicans have reported becoming more conservative recently, and 25% reported their views had stayed the same. Similarly, about half (49%) of Democrats have reported becoming more liberal/progressive, and 33% reported their views had mostly stayed the same. Independents were more likely to report their views staying the same (42%), and if their views did change, they were more likely to shift “in some other way” (22%). These independents, including youth who may lean toward either major party but don’t fully identify with Democrats or Republicans, make up a large portion (43%) of Gen Z. This data may further highlight a widespread dissatisfaction with the current political system.

By Gender: Young Men Just As Likely to Shift Left as Right

There are some notable differences by gender. Compared to young men (26%), young women (40%) were much more likely to say that their views had stayed the same. If women’s views did shift, they were more likely to say they had gotten more liberal (31%) instead of more conservative (9%) or to the center (10%). Although men were more likely to state that their views had shifted, they changed relatively evenly to the right (21%), the center (16%), the left (22%), or some other way (14%). Reporting around and after the 2024 presidential election highlighted a substantial rightward shift for young men, and they have moved to the right more than young women. But overall, in early 2026, they do not report being overwhelmingly swayed in any political direction.

LGBTQ youth were much more likely to state that their views had shifted to the left (51%) rather than staying the same (33%) or moving to the right (5%) or center (7%). That could be a response to ongoing right-wing hostility to LGBTQ individuals and attacks on the transgender community.

By Race/Ethnicity: Youth of Color Move Left More than Right

There were also some differences by race. White youth were just as likely to say their views had stayed the same (28%) or had shifted to the left (28%). They were less likely to say their views had become more right-leaning (19%), moved towards the center (13%) or moved in some other way (10%). The trend is similar for Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) youth, though only 7% of AAPI youth said they shifted to the right.

There has been a lot of commentary about a potential rightward shift among Black and Latino youth. We find that, overall, if their views did change, they tended to become more liberal rather than more conservative. There were some differences by gender: young Black women, Latinas, and AAPI women were much more likely to say their views had stayed the same or shifted to the left. There are some differences among men of color. Black men are more likely to say they stayed the same (39%) compared to Latino men (24%) and AAPI men (22%). For Black men, if their views did shift, they are somewhat evenly split across shifting to the right (11%), shifting to the left (14%), moving towards the center (17%) or shifting in some other way (16%). For Latino men and AAPI men, if their views did shift, they were much more likely to say they shifted to the left (28% vs. 34%) than shifting to the right (16% vs. 12%) or to the center (16% vs. 22%).

Although voters of color generally tended to favor Trump more in 2024 than in  2020, it seems that, overall, Black, Latino, and AAPI youth say their views are either staying the same or moving left. That may track with recent polling that shows support for President Trump among nonwhite voters also dropping. 

There have also been discussions about whether white men are diverging from white women in their political views. White men are about evenly split between staying the same (24%), shifting to the right (27%), or shifting to the left (20%), and less likely to say they shifted towards the center (15%). However, white women are more likely to either stay the same (34%) or shift to the left (33%) than shifting to the right (13%) or towards the center (13%). White women appear to be shifting more than white men, but white men don’t appear to be shifting overwhelmingly one way or the other.

No Major Differences by Education, but Finances May be Driving Shifts

There don’t appear to be major differences by educational attainment in young people’s ideological shifts. The plurality of both youth with college experience and “non-college youth” reported that their views have mostly stayed the same. If they did shift, respondents across educational attainment were more likely to state that their views had become more progressive rather than moving to the right, toward the center, or in some other way.

In terms of self-reported financial situation, struggling youth and wealthy youth are more likely to say their views stayed the same (37% and 44%, respectively) compared to financially stable youth (26%). Both stable and struggling youth were more likely to shift to the left (31% and 28%, respectively) compared to wealthy youth (2%). But financially stable youth and wealthy youth were equally likely to say their views had shifted to the right (both 20%) than financially struggling youth (10%).

Left-Leaning Youth More Likely to Vote, Prioritize Social Issues

Nearly 3 out of 4 youth who reported that their views have shifted to the left said they are “extremely likely” to vote in the 2026 midterms (73%), compared to youth whose views shifted to the right (55%), stayed the same (50%), or moved to the center (43%). Whether young people’s views have shifted or not, they generally want to see changes in the political system, better candidates who follow through on their campaign promises, and less money in politics. That echoes our previously published findings about what would motivate stronger youth participation, as well as findings from our 2025 report on youth democratic attitudes, which found that young people have a low level of confidence in the current U.S. political system and want to work toward a healthier and more responsive democracy.

On the Issues

Overall, youth are prioritizing economic issues like the cost of living/inflation regardless of whether their politics are shifting. At the same time, there seem to be some links between the issues young people are most focused on and their shifting politics. Young people who prioritize LGBTQ+ rights, climate change, and voting rights/democracy are most likely to be moving left. Youth focused on immigration, free speech/religious freedom, and gun policy are most likely to be moving right. Youth who are prioritizing economic issues like housing and jobs are most likely to be moving toward the center and least likely to be moving left. And young people who are most focused on racism and abortion are most likely to say their views have stayed the same. That may reflect that those are issues on which young people on both sides of the ideological spectrum have cemented their views.

We also examined the relationship between issues and political views in the other direction: what are the top issues for each group of youth whose views have or have not shifted? After cost of living/inflation, which was the top issue for all groups, youth whose views have stayed the same are prioritizing housing costs and healthcare. Youth moving to the left care most about healthcare and abortion. Youth whose views have become more conservative are prioritizing immigration and housing. And young people shifting toward the ideological center care the most about housing and healthcare.

This data reinforces the centrality of economic issues across the ideological spectrum and across young people’s shifting views. At the same time, it provides some indication of the issues, like LGBTQ+ rights and immigration, that may be driving changes in youth politics. And it can serve as a guide for the kinds of issue-focused messaging that may be most effective for reaching various groups of young people as their views evolve.

Media Sources Linked to Ideological Shifts

Our survey data also reveals how young people are getting information about issues they care about. Just as cost of living/inflation is the top issue for all youth, news websites/apps are the top source of political information for all young people. However, there are some differences. Less traditional information sources, like Reddit and Twitch, are linked to youth moving ideologically left. At the other end of the spectrum, podcasts/streaming radio and X (formerly known as Twitter) are linked to young people’s views shifting right. Print newspapers and Substack—which is now used as a news and opinion platform by many journalists—are most favored by youth whose views are moving toward the center. And young people whose views haven’t changed are most likely to turn toward print news, TV news, and Facebook.

Other insights from this data include: Instagram is relied on most by youth who are moving toward the center, and TikTok by youth whose views have stayed the same. Notably, by a large margin, youth whose views are changing “in some other way” are much more likely to turn to YouTube for information about politics.

We also asked young people what sorts of content they find most helpful for learning about politics—regardless of the particular platform where they encounter or consume it. Most young people reported getting the most useful information from articles and broadcasts from news organizations, political and issue advocacy organizations, and social media posts and videos from news organizations. However, youth whose views have shifted to the right were much less likely to rely on these information sources and instead turn to podcast episodes/clips hosted by journalists, influencers, or celebrities.

Taking all of these findings together, young people seem to be relying on traditional news sources or issue advocacy organizations, but using social media platforms to gather said information like Instagram and TikTok. That said, as we have stated before, the extent to which influencers or celebrities influence whether or how young people vote seems to be vastly overstated. However, they could have an impact in other ways, by helping to create a broader culture where civic participation is visible, enjoyable, and expected.

Young People’s Politics Are Changing Because They Feel Unheard and Unrepresented

In our survey, we also asked young people why their views have changed and allowed them to provide an optional open-ended answer. Over 3,000 respondents shared some of the factors driving their ideological shifts; using qualitative research methodology, we distilled their responses into three different but interrelated themes: 1) young people wanting to feel seen or heard; 2) young people’s disdain for political parties; and 3) young people are deeply affected by current events.

Young People Want Accountability and Action

For young people across the ideological spectrum, their political views are changing because they want to feel seen and heard in our democracy but they are frustrated that those in power are not responsive to their needs. Youth whose views shifted right, left, or remained the same frequently pointed to division, corruption, inaction, and extremism as barriers to meaningful political progress. Our previous findings highlighted that young people's top reasons for voting are changing politics that they dislike and making a difference.

When young people don’t see the political changes they want to take place, it may feel to them like they aren’t being listened to by their elected officials. For example, one respondent whose politics have shifted left wrote that “seeing terrible things happen to others and nothing being done by our leaders” shifted their politics.

This response typifies a broader feeling that political leaders are unresponsive to the issues affecting young people’s lives. In particular, young people who shifted further left often expressed disappointment that Democrats were not doing enough or listening to them. One such respondent wrote: “Democratic leaders are… not holding the right accountable” as the biggest reason why their political views shifted to the left.

Youth who moved toward the center, or said their views have changed in other ways, often expressed frustration with both parties. One young person who moved toward the center wrote: “I feel as though neither side is doing anything.” Another respondent, whose views shifted in a different way, wrote: “No matter who's in office nothing changes.”

Together, these responses suggest that many young people feel disconnected from those in power and skeptical that political leaders are addressing their concerns or creating meaningful change.

Young People’s Disdain for Political Parties

Building on our finding that 43% of young people do not fully identify with either Democrats or Republicans, many respondents described changes in their political views driven by dissatisfaction with whichever political party they feel most aligned with, the opposing party, or both major parties altogether. This suggests that many political shifts are driven more by frustration and disillusionment than by enthusiasm for a particular party or policy agenda. Rather than gravitating toward political victories or policy achievements, many young people appear to be searching for alternatives they perceive as better aligned with their values.

Among young people who shifted either to the right or the left, many described the opposing side as increasingly extreme or unreasonable, which may contribute to rising polarization. For example, one respondent who shifted to the right wrote, “Because the Democratic Party has completely lost it.” Similarly, a respondent who shifted to the left wrote, “The right/conservative side becoming even more extreme.” Those who moved toward the center or described their views as shifting in other ways often expressed frustration with both major parties and a desire to distance themselves from partisan identities altogether. One respondent wrote, “basically corruption has made me see the two-party system is a joke.”

Young people also frequently expressed a sense that they lack meaningful political choices and are forced to choose between the “lesser of two evils.” This sentiment appeared consistently across respondents, regardless of how their political views had shifted. One young person who shifted to the right wrote, “Neither sides are [sic] good but I feel as if the right is the lesser of two evils.” Similarly, one respondent who shifted to the left wrote, “I am constantly attempting to choose the lesser of two evils at any given time. At this time, I believe that to be the Democratic Party.” This feeling was especially common among young people who moved toward the center or whose views shifted in other ways. As one respondent explained, “No one actually wants to get anything done that makes our lives better. Every vote is literally just for the lesser of two evils.”

Overall, these responses suggest that many young people feel alienated from the current political system and skeptical that either major party is capable of effectively addressing their concerns.

Young People are Deeply Affected by Current Events

The majority of young people’s self-reported reasons for their changing views centered economic issues like inflation, healthcare, and stagnant wages. However, these responses didn’t seem to be tied to shifting views in any particular direction—they are prevalent among all young people, regardless of ideological changes.

As stated in our joint report with When We All Vote, The 50 Million, this survey was fielded in the midst of major political developments. Young people’s responses show that they are acutely aware of current events and of political leaders’ rhetoric as influential to their ideological shifts. For example, young people whose views moved left frequently brought up immigration and ICE enforcement, noting that they disagreed with policies they considered “too extreme.” At the same time, young people who shifted to the right also mentioned immigration as a driver of their shifting views.

There were also many mentions of the LGBTQ+ community, often in the same responses as those that mentioned immigration. It’s unclear to us why these issues were co-occurring so frequently in the qualitative data; one possibility is that youth are responding to political rhetoric from either side of the ideological spectrum that often attacks or defends both groups in similar ways—as either “outgroups” or as vulnerable communities that require support.

For example, one young person who shifted to the left wrote, “Heightened attacks on trans people and immigrant communities” as the biggest reason why their views had shifted. Others felt excluded by the focus on trans and immigrant rights, wondering why parties were focusing on these groups and not on them. For example, one young person said, “The Democratic Party… is ruining our country by putting the needs of illegal emigrants [sic] and LGBTQ over the needs of normal Americans.” 

Because of the survey’s timing, the release of the Epstein files also came up in many youth responses. As our other data shows, young people want accountability from their political leaders, and the lack of consequences for powerful people named in the Epstein files appears to be driving some shifts in young people’s views. Mentions of the Epstein files were most frequent among young people who said their views shifted to the center or shifted “in some other way,” which may be due to figures from both major parties appearing in the files and may signal that lack of accountability leads to distrust with the political system as a whole.

Looking Ahead and Supporting Young People in the Midterms

Our new data on young people’s shifting political views challenge some common narratives about young voters. First, a plurality of youth say their views have not changed, and those whose views have shifted are moving to the left more often than the right. That holds true across race, gender, and other demographic factors—though with some important differences. Moreover, youth who have moved left are the most likely to vote in 2026, which suggests that is a potential source of political energy ahead of the midterms.

Second, young people who are prioritizing economic issues like inflation, jobs, childcare, and housing are the most likely to be moving toward the center. That suggests young people may be dissatisfied with both parties' failures to address their financial needs and concerns, and that they hope for bipartisan or nonpartisan approaches to these pressing problems.

Finally, from ICE to the Epstein files, youth are highly attentive and responsive to major developments in American politics. Many reject what they see as extremism from either party and are looking, above all, for accountability.

These findings reinforce many of the recommendations in our initial report, such as the need to center young people’s voices in democracy and to create more nonpartisan political engagement opportunities. The fact that, for two-thirds of young people, their political views have recently shifted in some way, shows that they are still learning and evolving as political actors—and need information and support to do it. At the same time, the widespread skepticism or contempt for political institutions they view as extreme or unaccountable is a serious challenge to youth political engagement that demands both youth outreach and potential structural changes that can make U.S. democracy more responsive and appealing to young people.