Dysfunction in D.C. leads to soaring cynicism among Millennials

Political dysfunction in the nation’s capital is leaving its mark on the youngest generation of voting-age US citizens: Only 1 in 4 Millennials think the US is headed in the right direction.

Among Americans age 18 to 29, 48 percent think their vote will not make a real difference, up dramatically from 29 percent in 2012, according to a poll released Tuesday by the Institute of Politics at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass.

This cynical attitude portends lower participation in future voting and civic participation for Millennials, who showed up in record numbers in the 2008 election, said Trey Grayson, director of the Institute of Politics.

“With the hard choices that all of us need to make, it is more important than ever that young Americans are able to connect with and trust elected officials and public institutions,” Mr. Grayson said in a statement. “To ensure progress, our leaders in government need to set a positive tone and work together to show young people that Washington can again deliver results.”

Millennials have become increasingly skeptical of the political process, said Alex Wirth, a Harvard sophomore and one of the project’s student committee members.

“Even young people who are politically active believe their votes won’t make a difference,” Mr. Wirth said in a conference call Tuesday.

Trust that the nation’s major institutions – the US Supreme Court, president, Congress, Wall Street, and even the media – will “do the right thing” all or most of the time has declined among Millennials since 2010.

“Nearly half of all Americans under 30 believe that the politics of today are not able to meet the challenges our country is facing. We have been warned,” said John Della Volpe, polling director of the Harvard Institute of Politics, in a statement.

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