Dear Gen Z, don’t give up on America just yet (opinion)

Editor’s Note: This is the next installment in the “Generation Resilient” series. Where national tragedy has historically inspired heightened patriotism, it is now highlighting just how far apart many young Americans feel from the United States. Back in 2001, in the months following 9/11, a group of students at Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics saw a problem: many young Americans wanted to engage in public service, but they were not nearly as engaged in public policy or politics. Seeking an explanation for this dissonance and hoping to understand how young Americans felt about their place in our country, they created the Harvard Public Opinion Project, the longest-running poll of young American attitudes toward politics and public service. Join us on Twitter and Facebook We would all be wise to keep in mind that this is a pivotal moment for many young Americans’ feelings about the United States.