Only 13% of young Americans think the US isn’t cooked

13%. That’s the share of Americans aged 18–29 who think the country is headed in the right direction, according to Harvard’s Institute of Politics youth poll.

That’s not “kids are cynical.” That’s “the vibes are a national security threat” levels of bleak.

This is the same age group that got handed: tuition priced like a luxury watch, rent priced like a ransom note, healthcare priced like a prank, and a job market where your reward for “hustle” is a Slack message that says “quick sync?” and then you’re unemployed.

Harvard’s framing is basically “institutional trust is collapsing and democracy needs stability.”

You don’t get 87% “wrong direction” because everyone suddenly became a doomer on TikTok. You get it because the scoreboard is screaming. Wages do the worm while costs moonwalk. Congress can’t pass a budget without acting like it’s a hostage video. Corporations post record profits and then hit you with “we’re tightening belts.”

Meanwhile, the institutions that are supposed to be the “adult supervision” keep auditioning for a reality show called Who Wants to Be the Next Scandal. And then they wonder why young people treat politics like it’s a haunted house you pay taxes to enter.

This isn’t “apathy.” It’s pattern recognition. When 18–29-year-olds don’t trust the direction of the country, they’re not just doomscrolling—they’re forecasting their own bank account, their own rent increases, and whether their rights come with an expiration date.