Nolte: 81 Percent of Young Adults Rate the Economy as Bad or Terrible

A poll of 1,002 18 to 34-year-olds found that 81 percent see the American economy as bad or outright terrible.

Among those polled, President Trump’s job approval rating is a disaster with this demographic, with only 16 percent approving, while 75 percent disapprove — including 55 percent who “strongly disapprove.”

Only 18 percent of young adults graded the economy as “excellent” (two percent) or “good” (16 percent), while 81 percent said the economy is “bad” (52 percent) or “terrible” (29 percent).

When asked who they blame for the bad economy, 41 percent chose Trump. Only three percent chose Biden, while 31 percent blamed “corporate greed / large companies” — whatever that means.

When asked who they will support in the 2026 midterm elections (which are only six months away), the 18 to 24-year-olds polled chose Democrats over Republicans by a 33-point margin, 52 to 19 percent.

Looking ahead to the 2028 presidential election, former Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) came in first and second, respectively, with 22 percent and 15 percent support. Republican Vice President JD Vance came in third with just eight percent. Independents and Democrats rounded out the top nine. Donald Trump Jr. came in tenth place with three percent support.

This poll also has bad news for Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA), who earns just 5 percent support for his almost certain presidential bid.

Finally, the poll asked young adults if they approve of the ongoing war with Iran. Only 23 percent said yes, while 77 percent disapprove.

If these numbers hold, they show major erosion away from Trump, who won 42 percent of 18 to 24-year-olds in 2024 and 45 percent of 25 to 29-year-olds.

It’s probably not a wild guess to assume soaring gas prices due to the Iran War are a large part of the problem. Gas prices have always operated as a kind of national barometer about how we feel things are going economically in the country, and it seems as though every time prices come down to a reasonable level, something happens (COVID, Biden, Iran) that boosts them right back up to the $4.00 range, which is beyond aggravating.

A lot of young people are also dealing with an insane amount of student loan debt for useless degrees. That must be frustrating.

Finally, there’s the public school system, which is infected with left-wing teachers who talk America down, free markets down, and poison young minds with a sense of economic entitlement.

We can all agree that the economy could be better. We can also agree that this is still an economy where hard work will pay off until things improve. That’s what young people really need to hear.