CHICAGO, March 18, 2017—A new GenForward survey released today shows that about 70 percent of African American, Asian American, and Latino/a young adults disapprove of Donald Trump’s first days in office while 55 percent of young whites say the same. More than 6 in 10 report he is doing badly in terms of the policies he’s put forward to date, while 2 in 10 give him positive marks. There is growing pessimism among Millennials, as those who believe the country is off on the wrong track rose from 52 percent in December to 63 percent in February.
While many young adults report being dissatisfied with the new administration, a majority report political participation since the election. Most of the participation is online, with about 4 in 10 young African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino/as, and whites saying they have shared information online about the Trump presidency. Majorities of those who report participating in politics say it is in opposition to President Trump. For example, among those who have contacted an elected official, 62 percent say they did so to express opposition to Trump while 13 percent say it was to express support.
The most recent GenForward survey from the Black Youth Project at the University of Chicago with The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research measures young adults’ attitudes toward the first weeks of the Trump administration.
“Our findings suggest a considerable amount of political activity today is taking place online, and that political activism in the early part of Trump’s presidency has been more common among young people who oppose President Trump than among those who support him,” said Cathy Cohen, a professor of political science and founder of the Black Youth Project and GenForward survey at the University of Chicago. “Our results show that young people widely disapprove of Donald Trump and his administration and young people express considerable concern about the direction of the country under the new president. We also find that these views vary widely across race and ethnicity.”
Many Millennials express concern about Trump’s relations with Russia and Russian intervention in the presidential election. Fifty-six percent of Millennials of all races and ethnicities believe that the United States should not work more closely with Russia. And while a majority of all Millennials (58 percent) believe that Russia intervened in the 2016 presidential election, whites are less likely than young adults of color to say that intervention had any significant impact on the election.
There are also differences across race and ethnicity in perceptions of the most important problems facing the country. Young people of color cite racism as one of the three most important problems, but this is not a top issue for many white young adults. At the same time, education is one of the top issues for Millennials of all races and ethnicities.
“The GenForward survey provides a unique opportunity to explore the similarities and differences in the beliefs of young adults of different races and ethnicities,” said Trevor Tompson, director of The AP-NORC Center. “The findings show there is a growing pessimism among young adults across races and ethnicities, but there are differences among the groups when it comes to several issues that matter most for young adults.”
Some of the key findings from the nationally representative survey of young people age 18-30:
- Nearly two thirds of Millennials, including majorities of young adults in each racial and ethnic group, feel the country is off on the wrong track. And their pessimism is on the rise—up 11 percentage points since the question was last asked in December.
- A majority of young adults report participating in politics since the election, and political participation has mostly been online. For example, about 4 in 10 young African Americans, Asian Americans, Latino/as, and whites say they have shared information online about the Trump presidency.
- About 7 in 10 African Americans (71 percent), Asian Americans (69 percent), and Latino/as (72 percent) disapprove of Trump’s performance as president, compared with 55 percent of whites.
- Many Millennials are concerned about Trump’s relations with Russia. Though fewer whites (39 percent) are suspicious of Russian intervention in the presidential election, 54 percent of Asian Americans, 53 percent of Latino/as, and 49 percent of African Americans believe that the 2016 election was hampered by the Russians.
