Young People Have Lost All Trust in the System and Are Ready to Fight About It—Literally

A survey of 32,000 people across 28 countries found that everybody’s pissed and is feeling alienated and disillusioned. They’re also feeling like their governments are selling them out in favor of the rich and powerful and their terrible ideas. Anti-institution grievances are rising, and our trust in journalists, government officials, and CEOs is plummeting.

The 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer (Warning: that’s a link to a PDF) found that people were, at one point recently, simply just polarized. However, now they’re more into “aggressive advocacy for self-interest.”

That sounds like people are just more motivated than ever to make some change in the world. But when you explore what that means in the context of the study, you find out that people are more willing than ever to use violence and disinformation to be the change they want to see in the world. That’s especially true of Gen Z.

Young People Are Pissed And Will Use Violence If Necessary To Make A Change

A lot of the fears and distrust stem from economic factors. 62 percent of respondents expressed their anxiety and fears of losing their jobs to AI or their jobs getting shipped overseas. Only one-third of respondents believed that the next generation would be better off than the current one.

31 percent of the Gen Z respondents said that violence committed on people or property might just be an appropriate way to bring about some realistic, tangible change. 55 percent of 18 to 34-year-olds said they approve of the use of violence, property damage, or misinformation to enact change. A lot of them think capitalism is hurting us more than it’s helping.

Richard Aleman, the CEO of the company that conducted the survey, doesn’t provide any solutions. He does suggest a generalized idea of restoring economic optimism for the common man if anyone wants these trends to reverse. “Our research tells us that when people see solutions, they’re more hopeful and willing to sacrifice for the greater good. When trust is earned, optimism grows.”