President Donald Trump’s net approval among registered U.S. voters ages 18 to 29 saw a double-digit decline after Democrats’ landslide victory in the midterms, according to a new poll from The Economist/YouGov series.
Democratic congressional candidates also led Republicans 56 to 30 percent among 18- to 29-year-olds participating in post-election elections. Economist/YouGov poll.
The economist/YouGov A November 4-6 poll of 3,166 registered voters found that 30% of 18- to 29-year-olds (Generation Z) approved of Trump’s job performance, while 66% disapproved.
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This produced a net rating (those who approve minus those who disapprove) of minus 36 within the age group.
Of the entire sample, 36 percent approved and 62 percent disapproved, leaving the president at minus 26 overall. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.2 percentage points.
The generational result was therefore 10 points lower than its national situation, suggesting that young adults were not simply following a broader decline in public opinion.
Where were the numbers before Election Day?
In the previous Economist/YouGov According to an Oct. 23-26 survey of 1,440 registered voters, Trump received 35 percent approval and 61 percent disapproval from respondents ages 18 to 29. His net score with them was minus 26.
Among all participants, 39 percent approved and 58 percent disapproved, creating a balance of minus 19. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Comparing the two readings, young people’s approval decreased by five points, disapproval increased by the same amount, and the gap between these positions widened by ten points. Its national net rating deteriorated by seven points over the shortest period.
Young voters helped bring Trump back to the White House in 2024, giving Republicans hope for a lasting generational realignment.
That prospect now seems less certain as the Republican Party considers how to rebuild a winning national coalition without the president in an upcoming runoff election.
“Under the leadership of President Trump, this administration signed the largest tax cuts for the working class in history, secured the border, lowered the cost of prescription drugs, created more than a million private sector jobs and concluded nearly 20 trade deals,” said White House spokesman Davis Ingle. News week in an email response.
“President Trump will never stop delivering results for the American people and he will undoubtedly remain the most successful and consequential president in American history,” Ingle added.
How Generation Z reshaped the midterm elections
- Democrats led voters under 30 by nearly 50 points, while Generation Z accounted for 11% of the vote, according to exit polls.
- Young men shifted heavily toward Democrats after supporting Trump by 14 points in 2024, and supporting Democratic candidates for the House of Representatives by 22 points in 2026, according to a CIRCLE analysis.
- A younger class of candidates also made gains in the midterms, with Gen Z representation in the House tripling, according to figures from the Future Caucus.
Why it matters
The right-wing Gen Z movement in 2024 has challenged the assumption that young Americans will remain faithfully Democratic.
Trump’s economic pitch, particularly to young men frustrated with their prospects, helped him make inroads with a group that had long leaned left.
Two years later, those voters delivered a different verdict, backing Democratic candidates in this month’s midterm elections, which are often seen as referendums on which party is in power.
This shift doesn’t prove they’ve definitively returned to the Democratic fold, but it does show how quickly support can shift when a party fails to meet expectations on prices, jobs and opportunity.
How Generation Z fueled the democratic wave
Young Americans made up a relatively modest share of the electorate, but their lopsided preference became decisive in competitive races.
James Talarico won the Texas Senate race by about 12 points and was ahead of voters aged 18 to 29 by 60 points, according to exit poll results reported by NPR.
Economic concerns top the list for 43 percent of voters aged 18 to 29, while more than eight in ten say government policies have made the situation worse, according to an exit poll cited by NPR.
The upheaval also changed who will serve in government. Melat Kiros, 29, became the first Gen Z woman elected to Congress, while younger contenders beat more established opponents in several states.
Layla Zaidane, president and CEO of the Future Caucus, said at least 97 candidates under 45 won after more than a third of congressional candidates were in that age group.
“This generation of candidates also grew up online, so they have a strong instinct to communicate consistently and engagingly on platforms where more people than ever are getting their news,” Zaidane said. The Hill. “And they rejected the idea of waiting their turn.”
What this means for Republicans
The results weaken the argument that 2024 marked a lasting conservative conversion among young adults.
Rather, they highlight a volatile electorate ready to punish incumbents when daily life seems unaffordable or policy promises are not kept.
Rosalind Kichler, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Washington, cautioned that the midterm results may not represent a permanent political realignment among young voters.
“If Democrats don’t do anything in the next couple of years, we could be back toward a shift to the right,” Kichler said. The Daily from the University of Washington.
What happens next
Republicans now face a strategic test beyond a disappointing election: whether they can retain voters personally attracted to Trump while addressing the material concerns that made his initial appeal compelling.
Democrats, meanwhile, won another Gen Z hearing, but don’t have permanent ownership of them.
Newsweek reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Sam Stevenson and Cristina Diciu.
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