Donald Trump's approval rating among Gen-Z voters has dropped.
Donald Trump Faces Midterm Panic: Are Gen-Z Voters Abandoning the Republican Party?
April 15 2026, Published 6:00 p.m. ET
President Donald Trump’s approval rating has seen a significant drop in recent months.
Critics have argued that the president's popularity among the voters might have plummeted following controversies surrounding Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, tariff hikes and the Iran war, among others.
According to a new Yale Youth Poll conducted in March, voters under 30 are shifting toward the Democratic Party ahead of the midterm elections, scheduled to be held in November this year.
It is important to note that this in contrast to the trend that helped Trump secure strong Gen-Z support during his second presidential campaign.
Here's What the Yale Youth Poll Has Found
An X post details the net approval change among young voters since fall 2025, according to Yale Youth Poll.
The Yale Youth Poll found that voters under 30 have moved away from the Republican Party since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
Such a trend might prove to be a matter of concern for the Grand Old Party just seven months ahead of the midterm elections.
The poll showed that voters between the ages of 18 and 22 favor the Democrats by 23 points, while those aged 23 to 29 support the Democratic Party by 30 points.
Large majorities across age groups disapproved of Trump's performance, including 68 percent among voters aged 18 to 22, 72 percent among those aged 23 to 29 and 75 percent among those aged 30 to 34.
The poll sampled 3,249 registered voters, including 2,008 aged 18 to 34.
The March 2026 study showed disapproval has grown steadily since Trump returned to office. A previous poll conducted between October and November 2025 showed lower disapproval figures across all age groups.
According to USA Today, disapproval among voters aged 18 to 22 increased by four percentage points.
Among voters aged 23 to 29 and 30 to 34, disapproval rose by approximately seven and 11 percentage points, respectively.
Do Democrats Have the Edge Ahead of the Midterms?
The poll found that a majority of young voters plan to support Democratic candidates in the midterm elections.
Among voters aged 18 to 22, 52 percent said they plan to vote for Democrats, compared with 58 percent of those aged 23 to 29 and 62 percent of those aged 30 to 34.
The study also noted that young women have shifted heavily toward the Democrats since the 2025 survey. The party gained 17 points among women aged 18 to 22, 10 points among women aged 23 to 29 and 17 points among women aged 30 to 34.
With the male age groups between 23 and 29 and 30 and 34 showing a 14-point shift towards the Democratic party, this will raise concerns among Republicans. After all, the margin continues to increase.