What Young Swing Voters Have to Say

We partnered with Tulchin Research to conduct focus groups with young self-identified swing voters

We partnered with Tulchin Research to conduct a pair of focus groups on behalf of young self-identified swing voters between the ages of 21 and 25 and living in key states.

The groups were held on Wednesday, May 20, 2026, and included one group of young men and one group of young women. The purpose of the research was to hear directly from young voters about how they are processing the current political and economic environment, where they see themselves in it, and what they hope for the future.

Screenshot of memo, results copied below

The findings highlight profound economic anxiety and systemic frustration among young adults (echoing the findings in our Pulse Checks) who feel locked out of traditional milestones and ignored by the current political establishment. While deeply exhausted by current political dynamics, these young voters named that their hope doesn’t come from Washington, but from each other. Participants described finding hope in their peers, their communities, and local organizing above all else.

Main Takeaways (from Tulchin Research)

“Discouraged,” “Angry,” and “Trapped” in a “Weird Limbo”

Participants widely shared a negative outlook about the direction of the country characterized by economic pressure, political frustration, and a sense that the future they were promised is slipping away. When asked how they felt about the direction of the country, participants offered up sentiments like “discouraged,” “disappointed,” “nervous,” “frustrated,” “annoyed,” “angry,” “pissed,” and “bleak.”

Economic anxiety was the central driver of participants’ frustrations. Participants talked about rent, groceries, gas, tuition, and student debt, with several saying they were living at home because independent adulthood felt financially out of reach. When asked how the economy feels, one man answered, “Trash. Just…all trash.” Another explained that many friends are “one paycheck away from homelessness” or have experienced homelessness despite working full-time jobs. “I live in a more affordable region. If you can’t afford it here,” he added, “you can’t afford it anywhere.” One woman said she used to save $500 a month, but now can only save around $100 for emergencies.

Across both groups, participants described working hard but feeling unable to advance. One man struck a chord with his peers when he compared life for people in their twenties to Sisyphus “pushing the boulder up the hill.” Another said “you work so hard and do whatever you can…but you just can’t catch up.” Young women similarly expressed frustration with stalled adulthood and economic insecurity. One participant talked about how her generation was told to go to college, work hard, and complete internships, only to face “rejection letters for the hundreds of jobs I’m applying to.” “I feel lied to,” she said. Another woman described herself as trapped in “a weird limbo,” stating, “I just don’t really know how to advance from here.”

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One focus group participant described feeling like a “commodity” or “product” in a system where corporations continue extracting more from people without accountability.

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Participants spoke about the struggle to reach traditional milestones of adulthood such as stable jobs, homes, families, and financial security – and about feeling like their own mobility was being blocked. While most participants believed things might eventually improve for the country and themselves, hope felt distant and conditional rather than rooted in confidence about the future.

Many participants – particularly young men – spoke about their challenges in a systemic context rather than as isolated personal issues, describing an economy seemingly designed to benefit wealthy elites while leaving younger people behind. One young man found broad agreement describing a society where power acts “in the interests of a very small percentage of population…just wealthier people” while people like them are ignored. Another described feeling like a “commodity” or “product” in a system where corporations continue extracting more from people without accountability. One young woman asserted that she drew optimism from her sense that people, and her generation, “have gotten more and more fed up with corporate America” and are more willing to stand up for themselves in the workplace.

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Boos for AI and Big Tech

Young voters expressed generally negative feelings about Artificial Intelligence, with some describing AI as “dangerous,” “harmful,” “under-regulated” and others feeling it was “overhyped,” “misrepresented,” or “unnecessary.” Participants’ experience utilizing AI tools varied widely and, with the exception of those working in technical fields, was generally limited to popular LLM chatbots.

While young people across both groups acknowledged with mostly tepid enthusiasm the potential of AI and machine learning to unleash advances in medicine, research, and everyday convenience, most worried AI was advancing more rapidly than the safeguards meant to contain it.

For young men, concerns centered on surveillance, automation, and social control. One participant described AI cameras and automated ticketing as part of a “constant surveillance state” that “takes the humanity out of policing and law enforcement.” Another warned that AI systems can inherit human bias and be manipulated to promote certain specific ideologies and agendas, naming Elon Musk and X’s Grok as an example. Young women focused more on safety, consent, and the long-term social effects of AI. Several worried about explicit AI-generated images of women and minors. Others expressed concern about the impact of AI on their own critical thinking and that of others, particularly younger students growing up with AI as the default.

For participants in both groups, AI reinforced broader fears about economic instability and concentrated power. Young voters worried about fewer entry-level opportunities and growing investment in AI over workers, and about the rapid growth of new data centers, which were universally viewed negatively as being harmful to local communities and the environment while delivering dubious economic benefits.

Participants widely agreed that the big tech companies that control AI can’t be trusted and wanted to see more regulation but were skeptical about the will or ability of current political leaders to deliver. For many, AI has become part of a larger anxiety about who controls the future, who benefits from new technology, and whether ordinary people will have a say in the consequences.

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Donald Trump: A “Malignant Narcissist” Out for Himself and the Powerful

Participants in both groups expressed highly negative views of Donald Trump as a President, person, and cultural phenomenon. When asked for gut reactions to Trump young voters offered up words like “horrible,” “infuriating,” “predatory,” and “criminal,” and described him as an “egotistical loser,” “con man,” “malignant narcissist,” and “cult leader.”

Many described Trump as someone who has reshaped politics and society life in way that feel lasting and deeply damaging. One participant said Trump “ruined my high school years, ruined my college years, and now is ruining the rest of my 20s.” Others described feeling ashamed of America on the global stage, with one referring to the current moment as “our century of humiliation.”

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”Trump ruined my high school years, ruined my college years, and now is ruining the rest of my 20s.” - focus group participant

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Participants directly connected Trump to rising costs, corruption, and global instability. Several blamed Trump’s tariffs and foreign policy for higher prices on groceries, gas, and other everyday expenses. A recurring topic was Trump’s close alignment with Big Tech and wealthy elites – including corporate CEOs attending Trump’s 2025 inauguration and

Elon Musk’s brief but impactful stint inside his administration – which reinforced perceptions that powerful interests are shaping the country without accountability. Young voters in both groups brought up perceptions that Trump and his family are enriching themselves through corruption. Several young women pointed to the Epstein Files as evidence of wealthy insiders avoiding accountability when others are harmed.

No participants saw any meaningful distinction between Donald Trump and the Republican Party, seeing the latter as wholly captured and guided by the former. Several young men worried Trump might not be the endpoint of the perceived threat [authoritarianism] . Many agreed with a participant who described Trump as a kind of “stupid evil” driven mostly by self-interest and enrichment, warning that someone more ideological and disciplined could become more “surgical” and dangerous. For these voters, the fear was not just about what Trump is doing or might do, but about the kind of politics he has normalized.

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A “Weak” and “Leaderless” Opposition

While many participants in the groups expressed progressive views on a range of issues, frustration with the Democratic Party and its leaders was widespread and intense. Young voters across both groups described Democrats as “discombobulated,” “confused,” “leaderless,” “weak,” and “spineless.” While Democrats were seen as the only viable alternative to Trump, many participants expressed that the party often seems unwilling or unable to fight with urgency.

Several discussed an “old guard” of Washington politicians and party leaders who have been in power for a long time, who will neither meet the moment nor step aside for those who will. One man who said he had a “love-hate relationship” with the party said he felt they were more focused on “posturing” in the current environment, rather than doing anything “that is actually going to make the country better.” One young woman argued Democrats need to be more assertive because Republicans are “playing dirty” while Democrats remain too passive. She criticized Democrats holding up signs saying, “this is not normal,” questioning what they were actually doing about it. Another participant said Democrats need to “have your things figured out before we vote for you.”

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Authenticity? Actions Speak Louder

One young man expressed dismay that by not standing up to Trump on big issues, Democrats were leaving a vacuum for extreme “outsider” voices like Tucker Carlson and Nick Fuentes to fill. But amidst the broader skepticism of the Democratic Party, several people in each group expressed admiration for (mostly younger) leaders viewed as more assertive, specifically name-checking New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, U.S. Representatives Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC), Maxwell Frost, and Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer. One young man observed of Mamdani that he was “on the street, talking about what he wanted to do” as a candidate, “And then he did it.” A young woman similarly spoke of Whitmer’s ability to deliver, citing her record on education.

Creator: Eduardo Munoz | Credit: REUTERS

Participants widely expressed that they were looking for leaders who understand what people their age are facing, communicate clearly, won’t sell them out, and can show that government can still materially improve people’s lives. As one woman put it, “Actions speak louder than words.”

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Politics is “Exhausting” but Participation Still Matters

While participants across both groups were engaged with and concerned by current events, most agreed that politics “feels exhausting.” One man said political involvement is important, but his individual voice feels “meaningless compared to corporate interests” with “deep, deep pockets.” A few stated they felt their vote could matter more locally than nationally, where the Electoral College, gerrymandering, corporate money, and special interests leave them feeling unheard. One woman said, “On a local level, I feel like my vote matters. On a national level, even living in a swing state, it feels like things don’t matter.”

For many participants, especially women, voting was still closely tied to protecting rights and preventing political backsliding. But civic duty alone did not overcome frustration or skepticism. Across both groups, participants expressed a desire for leaders who challenge the status quo and elite influence normalized under Trump, who take their needs seriously, and who deliver action rather than lip service. Their openness to leaders representing a different style of politics demonstrates that they have not given up on democracy. Their hope doesn’t come from Washington, but from each other. Participants described finding hope in their peers, their communities, and local organizing above all else.

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Some Additional Takeaways (of our own)

When our own team listened and dug into these focus groups, we came away with some additional thoughts.

1. Self-identifying ‘swing voters’ aren’t necessarily who one might think of in their head anymore. Self-identified swing voters aren’t necessarily ideologically split, they just don’t feel like either party is truly listening to them. This has created a different kind of self-identifying ‘swing voter,’ one that may align with an ideological side, but have grown so distrustful of the party they’d most align with, that they are now actually swing voters.

2. Young people are NOT disengaged or disinterested. They’re as educated (if not moreso) than prior generations. However, they feel locked out of the system and they do not see much of the impact politics can provide in their lives beyond despair.

3. Trump’s brand is damaged compared to last time we talked to young people. Trump is not getting the same ‘benefit of the doubt’ or ‘credibility as a businessman’ as he was at the start of his term. Younger voters have fully seen who he is, and they don’t like it.
   

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Methodology

On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, Tulchin Research conducted two focus groups on behalf of NextGen America among young voters in key states. The groups were facilitated online.

The schedule and demographic breakdown were as follows:
1. Men, ages 21-25, swing voters
2. Women, ages 21-25, swing voters

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On Our Minds and On Our Feeds

• Wall Street Journal: This Summer’s Teen Job Market Is the Toughest in Decades

• New York Times: Up For Grabs: Can Democrats Sway Young Men Who Have Soured on Trump?