Poll: Young Americans See U.S. Civic Discourse as a Major Problem
November 14, 2025 by
Young Americans highly value civic education and are actively looking for more of it, according to the results of the 2025 Sine Institute Poll, Reimagining Higher Education: Young Voices, New Visions, which was published on October 28.
The poll, which was designed by the Sine Institute of Policy & Politics at American University, Close Up, Future Caucus, and AU’s Kogod School of Business, and based on interviews conducted by Generation Lab in early September, surveyed 1,214 Americans aged 18-35 to assess their views on higher education, artificial intelligence (AI), and civic discourse, among other issues.
Even prior to the assassination of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk in September 2025, a substantial majority of the poll’s respondents said they believed the state of civic discourse was a major problem. Sixty-nine percent of those surveyed described the current level of civic discourse in the United States as “a crisis” or “a serious problem.”
So, how are young Americans looking to change the tone and content of our national dialogue? A majority of respondents (57%) emphasized respectful engagement with different viewpoints as the key objective of civic discourse as opposed to striving for a uniform agreement. They emphasized that “respect” and “open-mindedness” are the two most essential skills for improving our dialogue around politics, followed by “empathy,” “active listening,” and “self-awareness.”
Learn more about how Close Up builds discourse skills in students nationwide through our NextGen Roundtable deliberations, Civil Discourse Credential, and professional development for educators.
Many respondents also outlined several steps to strengthen American civic engagement, including encouraging news outlets to focus on fact-based reporting over opinion-driven reporting, urging elected officials to model respectful disagreement over the demonization of opponents, and motivating Americans to seek out a diverse array of news sources.
Additional poll findings show that young people are wanting increased access, affordability, and representation of political viewpoints in their colleges and universities. Seventy percent of respondents reported that they are “confident” or “very confident” in American higher education; 60% said they view college as an essential part of the American Dream. However, they tended to rank financial security, meaningful jobs, and home ownership as higher in importance than earning a college degree. These young Americans expressed that the primary responsibilities of higher education should be to develop critical thinking skills, to prepare students for the job market, and to ensure accessibility. Survey results provided additional proof that affordability remains the biggest obstacle for attending college, with nearly 70% of respondents identifying that cost is the biggest deterrent of pursuing higher education.
When it comes to AI, young Americans acknowledge the role it will have in transforming American industries and the workforce—75% of respondents said that responsible AI education is necessary for career development. Respondents were more mixed when it came to their opinions on AI impacting career options, with a slight majority saying AI will likely limit their career options. The data suggested that people who use AI more regularly tend to be more optimistic about how it will impact their careers.
