Young Democrats Torch Own ‘Weak’ Party, Young Republicans More Loyal, Poll Shows
Young Americans have an overall negative view of both political parties, although young Democrats are significantly more critical of their own side than Republicans, according to the 51st edition of the Harvard Youth Poll released Thursday.
When respondents were asked to describe both parties in one word, 58% used a negative word to refer to Democrats – with “weak” being the most common, according to the newly released poll. Furthermore, 56% of young Americans surveyed used a negative word to refer to Republicans, with “corrupt” being the most common word, according to the poll. (RELATED: Bill Maher Argues With Actor Over Whether ‘Democrats Have Gone Too Left’)
Nearly 48% of young Democrats described their own party negatively, compared to just 35% who described it positively, according to the survey. By comparison, only one in four young Republicans used a negative word to describe the GOP, while nearly half — 46 percent — of them used a positive word to describe it, according to the poll.
Only 16% of all survey respondents gave a positive word for Democrats, while 26% gave a neutral word. Additionally, only 17% of young Americans surveyed said a positive word for Republicans, while 27% gave a neutral word, according to the survey.
Among those interviewed, 40% gave negative descriptions of each party, according to the poll.
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 12: House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) (C), Democratic Conference Chairman Rep. Pete Aguilar (D-CA) (R), and House Minority Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) (L) and other House Democrats arrive for a press conference on the House steps on November 12, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Rahm Emanuel, former Obama White House chief of staff, publicly criticized the Democratic Party had an image of “weak and woke” in May. In the same way, California Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is reportedly a potential contender for the White House in 2028, suggested in late August that Democrats were grappling with a “weakness” problem.
In July, Democratic strategist James Carville wrote in a New York Times opinion piece that he had recently heard fellow Democrats refer to their own party as a “cracked clown car.” The research of The Talking with American Men project released in June showed that many young men view the Democratic Party as “weak” while the Republicans are “strong.”
House Speaker Mike Johnson asserted in early November that “the truth is that Democrats have lost touch with American workers because they have simply stopped listening to them and serving them.”
However, Democrats scored several key election victories on November 4, including in New York, New Jersey and Virginia. Republicans are reportedly grappling with how best to craft a strong message on affordability ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
The Harvard Youth Poll surveyed 2,040 young people ages 18 to 29 and was organized with undergraduate students from the Harvard Public Opinion Project (HPOP) and overseen by John Della Volpe, poll director. Data was collected by Ipsos Public Affairs using the KnowledgePanel. Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish from November 3 to 7.
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