Trust for Gen Z is a bust

By the Editorial Team · Thursday, August 20, 2026

A recent survey shows that only 13% of Generation Z individuals trust most people, a significant drop from previous years and much lower than trust levels among older generations. This growing distrust among Gen Z, intensified since 2020 and linked to factors like education, may hinder social cohesion and civic participation in the future.

A recent survey reveals that members of Generation Z exhibit significantly lower levels of interpersonal trust compared to older generations, with only a small fraction believing that most people can be trusted. The study, conducted by political scientist Ryan Burge at Washington University and based on data from the General Social Survey collected between 2021 and 2024, highlights a striking generational divide in trust attitudes across the United States.

According to the findings, just 13% of Gen Z respondents—defined as individuals born between 1997 and 2012—expressed confidence that most people are trustworthy. In contrast, nearly three-quarters (74%) said they believe it is necessary to be cautious when dealing with others. This level of skepticism is notably higher than that of Millennials, of whom about 24% trusted the majority of people while 67% preferred to remain wary.

Older generations demonstrated comparatively greater levels of trust. Approximately 30% of Generation X and 29% of Baby Boomers reported trusting most people, whereas the Silent Generation—those born roughly between 1928 and 1945—showed the highest rates of trust at 41%, with just over half of them expressing caution.

The data also point to a marked decline in interpersonal trust among Gen Z beginning around 2020, coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2018, slightly more than 20% of Gen Z respondents indicated that most people could be trusted; by 2025, that share had dropped to single digits. Although Millennials and Boomers experienced some reduction in trust levels during the same period, their declines were less severe than that observed in Gen Z.

Education emerged as a significant factor influencing trust across all age groups. Individuals with a college degree were more inclined to trust others than those whose highest level of education was a high school diploma or below.

These findings suggest a growing crisis of trust among younger Americans, particularly Gen Z, which experts say could have far-reaching implications for social cohesion and civic engagement in the years ahead.

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