Despite polarization, Americans still prize political compromise

In the run-up to November’s midterm elections, potshots at opponents have been coming fast and hard in advertisements and social media, while legislating on Capitol Hill has slowed to a crawl.But state capitals and city halls across the United States offer encouraging examples of what the nonpartisan Future Caucus calls “constructive, collaborative governance.”This “get it done” attitude is particularly evident among younger generations of elected officials, according to the organization’s head, Layla Zaidane. And that’s what offers hope for upcoming legislative cycles, she wrote Tuesday in Governing, a digital publication. Future Caucus supports and mentors more than 2,000 young lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats, ranging from liberal to centrist to conservative. Together, they take part in workshops, field visits, and online connections. And together, they hone skills in negotiation and compromise across party lines, while deepening their understanding of each other as well as bread-and-butter public issues.And this approach has reduced partisan divisions – and produced tangible political results.“Young lawmakers make up just 25% of state legislators nationwide,” according to The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, a Future Caucus supporter. Yet “they introduced 40% of the bipartisan bills enacted in 2023 at the state level, proving that they are willing to work across the aisle to get things done.”“By working together, young policymakers are turning bipartisan relationships into real policy wins,” the foundation observed.These gains could be increasingly reflected at the national level, too – where Congress has seen a rise in millennial and Generation Z candidates contesting and winning seats. According to one estimate, the number of candidates has more than doubled from about 100 in 2018 to approximately 240 in 2024.In fact, across all generations, 8 out of 10 American adults, according to a 2025 Gallup report, believe that “political leaders should compromise with the other party to get things done, even if they don’t like some parts of the compromise.” And when it comes to the youngest voters – those born between 1997 and 2012, who are also gradually becoming eligible for elected office – there’s even more desire for getting along, and getting on with governing.On the one hand, according to a Stanford University survey report in June, this group is disillusioned with “the system.” After all, they’ve come of age through a pandemic, government shutdowns, a changing job market, and an affordability squeeze.Yet, the survey found, Gen Z has “more optimism about bridging divides than in any other age group.” “Polarization doesn’t seem to be a fixed trend,” observed one student involved in the research. “Our identities and views are still malleable, and that’s exactly why this moment matters so much.”