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New Partnership for Public Service research examines young adults’ trust in government 

On Oct. 10, the Partnership for Public Service and Syracuse University’s Institute for Democracy, Journalism and Citizenship hosted an event that explored new Partnership research on young adults’ perceptions of the federal government.  

Overall trust in the federal government is at a near-record low, with young adults ages 18-34 reporting the lowest levels. The new report seeks to better understand these views and how to bridge the trust gap.  

During the event, young professionals both inside and outside government discussed federal careers and what government could do to better engage young adults.  

Below are three key takeaways from the discussion. 

1. Young adults’ trust in the federal government is low, but a majority view public service positively.  

Only 30% of young adults trust the federal government, according to our new research.  

When asked what words immediately come to mind when thinking about the government, young adults said “slow, incompetent, corrupt, disorganized [and] self-interested,” among other negatives, according to Nadzeya Shutava, a research manager at the Partnership.  

Political affiliation also does not affect perceptions of the government as much as it does in general population, with young adults across the political spectrum reporting low levels of trust.   

On the plus side, 60% of young adults view a career in public service as a good opportunity to make a positive impact on their communities. Work-life balance, competitive pay and stability are among the positives young adults see in a federal job.  

2. Young adults believe communication from the federal government is ineffective and inaccessible; they want to see more honesty and authenticity. 

We also explored how the government could better engage young people through more authentic communication. 

Most respondents to the Partnership’s recent survey as well as participants in Partnership focus groups prefer social media as a source for information from the federal government. “The information is there … but not necessarily in the spaces [where young adults are],” Shutava said.  

Four young students and professionals who spoke during the event—Kyle Gardiner, senior policy analyst at the Office of Management and Budget, Aamer Uddin, international trade specialist at the Commerce Department, and Syracuse University undergraduate students Yaneeka Nichols and Xenia Zolano-Doroteo—said the government tends to use inaccessible language when communicating with the public.  

“Meet people where they are… engage with folks on social media, YouTube and other platforms, and speaking in plain languages is a really big thing,” Uddin said. 

3. The government should improve its recruitment methods to better engage the next generation of public servants.   

Nichols, who is seeking a career in the private sector, noted that companies like Chase and Microsoft often attend career fairs and university events, enabling them to better recruit young adults.  

“A lot of companies that come to school for career services are private sector companies. They come and reach out to us … on Handshake, LinkedIn, even Indeed,” Nichols said. 

Gardiner agreed that the federal government should be recruiting as aggressively as the private sector, adding, “[If] you’re curious, and you have no clue how to go work for the Department of Commerce, or the Department of Transportation or OMB, I cannot recommend enough that [you] talk to your career counselor and get a sense of how to navigate USAJOBS.” 

A clear takeaway from the Partnership’s research and the event is that highlighting the work that federal employees do every day can help correct misconceptions about the government, support its efforts to recruit the next generation of public servants and regain the trust of young adults. 

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