POLL: Gen Z is more uneasy about AI's outlook on future job security than immigration
Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics released their Fall 2025 Harvard Youth Poll, covering young American’s views on politics, economics, and AI.
13 percent of young Americans say they see the U.S. as heading in the right direction, as only 30 percent of young Americans say they are 'better off financially than their parents.'
Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics has released the findings of its fall 2025 Harvard Youth Poll, with the pollsters saying that “young Americans report deep economic insecurity.”
The poll focused on how young Americans, between the ages of 18 to 29 report instability in areas including “financial, political, and interpersonal,” and how this instability has “become a defining feature of daily life, shaping their outlook on the country and their own futures.”
43 percent of young Americans who responded in the poll also stated that they are “struggling or getting by with limited financial security.”
In the poll’s key takeaways section, researchers findings conclude that “economic pressure is the defining force in young people’s lives,” with 48 percent of Republicans saying that they see inflation as the “most important economic issues [they] would like government to address.”
36 percent of Democrats, 34 percent of independents, and 37 percent of respondents overall also listed inflation as their top area in response to that question.
Other areas that respondents included as top issues related to: health care, housing, jobs, taxes, and wages.
The Youth Poll also found that AI is a top concern for young Americans, with 44 percent saying that “AI will reduce opportunities,” while 14 percent expect to see it as a benefit where they will see gains.
More Democrats than Republicans, 52 percent compared to 37 percent, report that AI will take away more opportunities, while only 13 percent of Democrats and 20 percent of Republicans say that AI will create more opportunities.
44 percent of white respondents, 37 percent of black respondents, and 46 percent of Hispanic respondents also agree that AI will take away more opportunities, while only 40 percent of men, compared to 48 percent of women, responded saying the same.
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Responses from the Youth Poll also find that “support for capitalism, socialism, and democratic socialism has declined since 2018, reflecting a generational retreat from traditional ideological categories.”
Support for capitalism amongst young Americans has also declined 6 percent from 2020, with only 39 percent of young Americans saying they support the system.
The decline in support for capitalism is also seen between party lines, with only 25 percent of Democrats saying they support it, and 59 percent of Republicans supporting capitalism.
Differences in political views was also a topic respondents of the Youth Poll were asked about, as “only 35 percent believe Americans with opposing political views still want what’s best for the country.”
In addition to this, 47 percent of young Americans responded saying that they “avoid political conversations because they worry about how others will react,” and 33 percent of young Americans say that people make them feel “judged” when they express their political beliefs or views.
Campus Reform has contacted Harvard University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.
