Young Arizonans Want Government to Act – Even as Trust in Institutions Frays
PHOENIX, AZ (October 19, 2026) – The McCain Institute at Arizona State University today released the findings of a new statewide poll conducted by SocialSphere, Inc. on behalf of the McCain Institute. The survey of 18-29-year-old Arizona residents reveals a generation demanding action on the problems closest to home while expressing deep skepticism toward the institutions charged with solving them. The polling also indicates an increased level of youth voter turnout expected in the 2026 midterm elections in Arizona.
“This survey shows that young Arizonans crave leadership. They need local, state and national leaders to listen and act on the issues they face,” said McCain Institute Director of Democracy Programs Paul Fagan. “As an organization carrying on the legacy of Senator John McCain, we are unsurprised to learn that Arizonans want character-driven leaders who stand up for them and inspire them. The good news is that they are hopeful, engaged, and can envision a positive future.”
By two to one, young adults favor a more active role for government, with cost of living, housing, health care, and water dominating their priorities. Yet just 20% believe the federal government and 26% believe the state government has their best interests at heart. Despite that distrust and widespread political burnout, 71% believe young people have the power to change Arizona’s direction — revealing an electorate that remains engaged but frustrated and financially pressured.
“Young Arizonans want government to act on the problems shaping their everyday lives – cost, housing, health care, and water – but they have little patience for institutions that fail to deliver,” said SocialSphere, Inc. Founder and CEO John Della Volpe, who directed the poll. “What stands out is that despite deep frustration, seven in 10 still believe young people can change Arizona’s direction.”
The poll’s key takeaways include:
Young Arizonans favor an active government by a two-to-one margin, but don’t trust the one they have.
Asked to choose, 44% of young Arizonans say government should take a more active role in solving problems, while just 22% say it should step back and let people and businesses solve things on their own. The preference crosses party lines as a majority of Democrats (53% more active, 23% step back), and a plurality of Republicans (44% more active, 28% step back) and independents (43% more active, 25% step back) say the same.
But wanting an activist government is not the same as trusting the current one. Only 26% think the federal government has the best interests of people like them at heart, against 56% who say it does not, and 49% say the federal government is making a negative difference in their life, more than double the 20% who say positive.
Affordability remains the defining priority for young Arizonans.
The issues young Arizonans most often rate “very important” remain pocketbook and resource concerns: cost of living (76%), housing affordability (73%), health care (73%), and water availability (72%), all ranking above more polarizing national issues. These priorities have barely moved since the last statewide reading of this age group in 2022, when cost of living stood at 78%, housing at 74%, and health care at 73%. Water availability was not tested in 2022, and it enters the list this year already in the top tier, a sign of how central the state’s water outlook has become for its youngest adults.
For many, those economic pressures are personal.
Thirty-eight percent (38%) of young Arizonans describe themselves as stressed, struggling, or in crisis on their bills, while 24% say they are comfortable with no financial concerns. The pressure is firsthand: more than one in three (35%) have lived through housing instability at some point in the past five years, and it falls unevenly. Among young Black Arizonans, 72% have experienced housing instability, compared with 39% of Hispanic and 23% of White young Arizonans.
Turnout potential is real, but confidence in the electoral process is fragile.
With the midterm still months away at the time of fielding, 37% said they were almost certain to vote, a meaningful level of intention given Arizona’s recent youth turnout history. Among voting-eligible 18-29-year-olds, turnout was just 10% in 2014, before rising to 26% in 2018 and holding at roughly 25% in 2022 according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, based on voter-file data aggregated by Catalist. At the same time, 60% do not consider themselves politically engaged or active. The sharper concern is confidence in the process: only 36% believe the 2026 midterm in Arizona will be legitimate and reflect the will of the people, while another 38% say “it depends.” Looking back, just 36% described the 2024 presidential result as legitimate.
Fatigue and distrust run deep, but most believe they can shape Arizona’s future.
Young Arizonans report real exhaustion with politics: 66% feel burned out by constant conflict, 64% say elected officials care more about their own power than about people like them. Yet the same group has not written itself off. A striking 71% agree that young people like them have the power to change Arizona’s direction, 66% see voting as a personal duty, and 62% plan to live in the state over the long term.
To reach this generation, the channel matters as much as the message: trust runs through people they know, not institutions.
When asked who could actually get them to vote, volunteer, or engage, young Arizonans point to their inner circle. Family (32%) and friends or peers (19%) top the list of most trusted messengers, while elected officials land near the bottom at 7%. The same hierarchy holds when they are asked who has their best interests at heart: parents and family (81%), friends (77%), and teachers (70%) rank far above government leaders.
Their news and information run through a handful of personal platforms, led by YouTube (53%), TikTok (43%), and Instagram (41%), well ahead of any traditional outlet, and that diet has narrowed since 2022, with Facebook (40% to 28%), Snapchat (34% to 14%), and X (30% to 23%) all falling off.
Young Arizonans distinguish between immigration and immigration enforcement.
Views on immigration itself lean favorable: 35% say immigration to Arizona in recent years has had a positive impact on their community, compared with 22% who say it has had a negative impact, with the largest group (44%) neutral or unsure. Sentiment flips when the question turns to the recent tightening of enforcement. Here 42% say the changes have had a negative impact on their community, nearly double the 26% who see them as positive. And this is not abstract: 41% report that they or someone in their family, circle of friends, or community has been directly affected by immigration enforcement, deportation, or related government action.
View the full polling results and methodology HERE.
The McCain Institute previously worked with SocialSphere, Inc. on a youth poll in 2022. Results from that survey can be viewed HERE.
About the McCain Institute at Arizona State University
The McCain Institute is a nonpartisan organization inspired by Senator John McCain and his family’s dedication to public service. We are part of Arizona State University and based in Washington, D.C. Our programs defend democracy, advance human rights and freedom, and empower character-driven leaders. Our unique power to convene leaders across the global political spectrum enables us to make a real impact on the world’s most pressing challenges. Our goal is action, not talk, and like Senator McCain, we are fighting to create a free, safe, and just world for all.
About Arizona State University
Arizona State University has developed a new model for the American research university, creating an institution that is committed to access, excellence and impact. ASU measures itself by those it includes, not by those it excludes. As the prototype for a New American University, ASU pursues research that contributes to the public good, and ASU assumes major responsibility for the economic, social and cultural vitality of the communities that surround it.