HARVARD POLL: Congressional Democrats’ approval among young voters plummets, GOP gains ground

04/26/2025 / By Laura Harris

Approval of Congressional Democrats among young voters (18-29) has plummeted 19 points since 2017 (from 42 percent to 23 percent), while GOP approval slightly rose (28 percent to 29 percent).
White millennial men now favor Republicans 46 percent to 37 percent, reversing Democratic leads from 2016. Some polls (e.g., Yale) show Gen Z voters under 21 prefer GOP candidates by 11.7 points.
Young voters increasingly see Republicans as better on the economy. Many criticize Democrats for being “elitist” (51 percent), overly focused on “political correctness” (70 percent) and prioritizing “other people” over their concerns (54 percent).
23 percent of Democrats disapprove of their party’s congressional leadership – far higher than GOP dissatisfaction (nine percent).
Declining approval in battleground districts (39 percent favorable for Democrats vs. 43 percent for Republicans) signals a potential realignment, with economic struggles and governance failures driving some young voters toward conservatism.

A new Harvard Youth Poll, conducted by the Harvard Public Opinion Project (HPOP) and supervised by polling director John Della Volpe, has revealed that Congressional Democrats’ approval ratings have suffered a steep decline among young voters, dropping 19 points since 2017, while Republicans have seen a slight uptick in favorability.

The 50th edition of the Harvard Youth Poll, which surveyed 2,096 Americans aged 18-29 via Ipsos Public Affairs’ KnowledgePanel, found that just 23 percent of young Americans (ages 18-29) approve of Congressional Democrats, down sharply from 42 percent in spring 2017.

Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans’ approval inched up to 29 percent from 28 percent over the same period – marking the first time in years that GOP lawmakers have outpaced their Democratic counterparts in youth approval. (Related: Survey reveals dissatisfaction among Californians for Biden and Congress ahead of 2024 elections.)

The findings, released on April 23, highlight a broader political realignment among young voters. It reinforces concerns within the Democratic Party about its eroding appeal. While Democrats still maintain strong support from millennials and Gen Z overall, the poll indicate that white millennial men are increasingly shifting toward the GOP – a trend that could reshape future elections.

In short, Democrats’ reliance on young voters may be faltering, as rising dissatisfaction with economic struggles, inflation and governance failures drives some toward more conservative alternatives.

Recent surveys have shown that many Americans disapprove of Democrats’ leadership

The result of the Harvard Youth Poll reflects other recent surveys.

For instance, a Yale Youth Poll shows that voters aged 18 to 21 favor the Republican candidates for Congress in 2026 by an 11.7-point margin (52 percent to 40.3 percent). Meanwhile, those aged 22 to 29 still prefer Democrats but by a narrower 6.4-point margin (51.7 percent to 45.3 percent).

The survey, which sampled 4,100 registered voters, including 2,025 respondents aged 18-29, underscores a broader trend of declining Democratic support among millennials and Gen Z. The findings highlight a generational divide within the youth electorate, with the youngest voters tilting rightward while those in their late 20s remain more reliably Democratic.

A Navigator Research poll, which surveyed 1,500 likely 2026 general election voters across 62 battleground districts from Feb. 21 to 25, also revealed the same.

According to the survey from Navigator Research, a left-leaning polling firm, only 39 percent of voters in competitive districts view congressional Democrats favorably, while 58 percent hold an unfavorable opinion. Meanwhile, 43 percent of respondents view congressional Republicans favorably, with 54 percent viewing them unfavorably – a notably smaller gap than Democrats face.

The poll highlights growing skepticism toward Democratic priorities. For instance, 54 percent believe Democrats in Congress focus more on helping “other people” rather than “people like me,” whole 70 percent say Democratic lawmakers are “too focused on being politically correct.” Additionally, 51 percent describe congressional Democrats as “elitist.”

Even within the party, discontent is rising, with 23 percent of self-identified Democrats expressing unfavorable views of their own congressional members, compared to just nine percent of Republicans who feel the same about their party’s lawmakers.

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