What Do High School Students in the U.S. Think About Democracy?

Scholars frequently adopt a deficit frame when interpreting survey data of declining democratic support among young. Most of this research, however, focuses on youth between the ages of 18-35 and rarely examines how adolescents under 18 understand democracy or interpret the concepts used in surveys. Our qualitative study addresses these gaps by examining U.S. high school students’ (ages 15-18) understandings of democracy and their responses to commonly used survey items to assess democratic support and openness to authoritarian alternatives. Drawing on focus groups and interviews, we find that while students overwhelmingly expressed normative support for democracy, many demonstrated limited or primarily formal understandings of the concept. Additionally, interpretations of survey questions diverged substantially from those assumed by political scientists. These findings raise methodological concerns about existing measures, challenge deficit narratives of youth, and highlight the need for civic education that develops more robust understandings of democracy in an era of democratic backsliding.