Amid political polarization across the country and lack of faith in the two-party system to solve people’s problems, a large number of younger Americans say they have abandoned both the national Republican and Democratic parties.
The new NBC News Stay Tuned Poll, powered by SurveyMonkey, asked 19,682 American adults about the current state of U.S. politics as President Donald Trump approaches his first 100 days in office. The results show 64% of independents have an unfavorable opinion of the Democratic Party and 71% have an unfavorable opinion of the Republican Party. Those high unfavorable numbers were about the same among Gen Z independents, too.
Meanwhile, Gen Zers and millennials were more likely than Gen X and baby boomers to identify themselves as independents. And it’s under these uncertain conditions that many voters are coming into politics without strong ties to the traditional parties.
Corruption and corrosive politics were a major concern among other young independents who spoke to NBC News, including Nathan Gong, 19, who is a student at the University of Texas at Austin.
“It’s a bipartisan problem” that members of Congress have to spend so much time fundraising “instead of legislating and being serious about solving problems for their constituents,” Gong said.
Gong grew up with parents who immigrated from China. He said he still holds many of their traditionally conservative and libertarian beliefs, but he now identifies as an independent.
“The Republican Party, I think they have a long way to go, especially with reaching younger voters and different populations that traditionally have not voted Republican,” Gong said.
When asked about the Democratic Party, Gong said it has gone too far in some areas.
“I think when [Democrats] kind of play jump rope with empathy and you do a lot of things in the name of being sympathetic and helping people, but you’re kind of just losing touch with what most people, what the average American, the average person wants,” Gong said. He added: “I think a lot of these issues surrounding identity can be a little bit much. And I think that was reflected in a lot of recent elections.”
Jack Nagel, 26, an independent California resident who works for “Good Party,” a startup that helps independent candidates run and serve in office, said in an interview that he “would describe the Democratic Party as frozen.”
“They are doing nothing to stand in the way of what Trump is trying to accomplish and have no clear message to voters,” Nagel said.
“Growing up, you’re taught that America is this beacon of democracy around the world and of strong democratic values,” Nagel said. “You see increasing polarization and decreasing action by our elected officials.”
Yet Nagel’s frustration with the Democratic Party hasn’t drawn him to the Republican Party.
“I would describe the Republican Party as dominated by one individual right now, and we all know who that is, and that’s President Trump. I don’t think they also are providing any kind of vision beyond who he is,” Nagel added.
“I would consider myself politically homeless, in that I don’t have a party that speaks to my values and beliefs,” Nagel said.
The new poll found that 65% of Gen Z independents believe neither Democrats nor Republicans fight for people like them, with 78% saying the country is on the wrong track.
The poll also revealed 67% of all independent voters somewhat or strongly disapprove of the way Trump is handling his job as president. Nearly half (48%) of Gen Zers strongly disapprove, and Gen Z women have the highest disapproval.
Independent voters leaned closer to Democrats and progressives than Republicans and conservatives when considering the president’s job performance in his first three months.
And when looking at how Gen Zers feel about Trump’s actions in his administration so far, a 28% plurality of Gen Z voters described feeling “furious.”
Independent voter Natasha Mizell, 25, said she has been disappointed with Trump. She is a first-generation American who grew up with conservative parents from Cuba but now leans a bit more progressive.
“A lot of times the comments that the president will make are very unprofessional and a lot of times can create more of a divide between people, and I think that that coming from the president can send a signal to the rest of the country on this is OK to act this way,” Mizell said.
She said extremism has pushed away young people from wanting to choose between the lesser of two evils.
“Although right now we do favor the two parties on the federal level, I think that my generation is ready to take that on and change that,” Mizell added. “I do think that right now, we’re ending up in a way where when it comes to presidential elections, you do have to choose the lesser of two evils. But on the local and state level, we are able to have that choice and be able to actually enact change and elect independents that do reflect our actual views.”
Though a record-breaking share of independent voters participated in the 2024 presidential election, independents can’t participate in every election in all 50 states, since many have closed party primaries. Failed presidential campaigns from third-party or independent candidates have also contributed to skepticism about the feasibility of a third-party candidate winning at the national level.
Nagel said he believes the solution lies in a new generation of elected officials and is focused on getting more independents to run and vote at the local level.
“The deck is stacked against independents, there’s no doubt about that. But what we’re doing at the local level to advance candidates that are people-powered, independent, anti-corruption is going to pave the way for reform at the state level and hopefully ultimately at the federal level,” Nagel said.
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