Welcome to the Gloomcycle: “I expect to wake up to horrible news”
The Up and Up Community weighs in on our current chaos.
To say there’s a lot going on right now is an understatement.
From domestic protests and ICE raids to the tragic shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and now deadly strikes between Israel and Iran, it feels like 2020 in terms of how much news there is, but now, the stakes are even higher.
We’re trapped in what I’m calling the Gloomcycle.
For this week’s Reality Check, I surveyed The Up and Up’s Gen Z community on our current state of national and global affairs. More than 50 people responded, ages 17-31, from 24 states, and D.C. Not one person felt fully confident about the way things are going.
Many are looking for new leaders to remedy years of deep party polarization. They know that division is only making everything worse.
Here are what the numbers actually tell us, and why it matters more than you may think.
The vibes are bad. On a scale of 1-10, respondents rate the state of things in the U.S. a 3.4.
92% of respondents distrust the federal government.
85% feel unrepresented by the people in power.
56% of respondents are not proud to be an American.
I’ve written a lot about how youth-led protests look different in 2025. Gen Z was once seen as the face of modern activism, but things have changed. While some young people have shifted right, most young people I speak to hold nuanced views somewhere in the middle. Even if they disagree with everything this administration is doing, many feel like a protest won’t make a difference. I’m hearing a sense of helplessness.
Nearly 25% attended 'No Kings' protests, but they're split on their effectiveness (54% say impactful, 46% say not).
The takeaway: From talking about hometowns that feel unfamiliar to worrying about friends in the military, young adults are clearly uneasy about the world around them. But they aren’t spiraling. They grew up with chaos in the background. What they’re feeling now isn’t panic, it’s disappointment and numbness. Cognizant that protesting hasn’t led to much concrete change in the past 10 years, they’re searching for new avenues for progress.
Here’s some more on how the respondents are feeling:
71% think the U.S. should stay out of foreign conflicts.
35% say immigration has personally affected them or their family in some way.
I asked respondents what’s been on their minds lately when it comes to the news, and which issues they feel most strongly about.
Here are their top issues:
And some of the quotes they shared:
“There's so much violence being justified by both sides of the aisle that I expect to wake up to horrible news,” said a 28-year-old from Indiana.
“It’s infuriating to watch people in the city I grew up in targeted for absolutely no reason,” said a 28-year-old from Los Angeles.
“Very worried about my friends enlisted in the military. It’s very possible we could enter a war soon and I want them to be okay,” said a 22-year-old from Texas.
“I am really overwhelmed by all of the bad news I am seeing right now. I am especially heartbroken over the arrests and detention of immigrant communities led by the Department of Homeland Security. I also am feeling very anxious, upset, and at a loss over the National Guard being deployed on protesters in Los Angeles,” said a 23-year-old from Alabama. “It is starting to feel like there is no safe or effective way to voice opposition to the current administration, especially as a young person.”
“Since becoming a dad, everything feels heavier. The news doesn’t just feel like headlines anymore. it feels like a forecast of the world my daughter will inherit,” said a 22-year-old from Virginia. “I don’t recognize my country.”
“I feel like there is a lot of negativity and that people aren’t informed properly. It really bothers me when some people aren’t accepting of others’ opinions, especially when this is a place where people can have different opinions,” said a 19-year-old from Pennsylvania.
“I think that the Democratic Party, specifically Gen Z, throws around the terms fascism and monarchy in a far too generous manner leading to increased polarization,” said an 18-year-old from Virginia.
“I think liberal big media has truly created distrust among news outlets. Lots of reports that leave out the most important details. I am fired up about fairness in sports and how this will either keep dividing the two parties or later on unite. The issues that will be the breaking point for the 2026 midterm elections are gun violence, education for sure, and where the Dems go from here,” said a 22-year-old.
“I’m worried about escalating wars around the globe, including culture wars. I think the right and left have gotten too far apart. I am afraid they hate each other — and they shouldn’t,” said a 25-year-old from Washington, D.C.
“The lack of empathy is bizarre,” said a 24-year-old from Colorado.
Noteworthy reads
A hot trend in the housing market is Gen Z buying homes with their siblings, Jason Ma for Fortune
What broke teenage romance?, Charley Locke for Vox
13 Young Gen Zers on Whether America's Best Days Are Behind It, Katherine Miller, Margie Omero, and Adrian J. Rivera for the New York Times
How Gen Z Is Transforming the Wedding Industry, Valeriya Safronova for The New York Times