In such a chaotic time for the country, one might wonder what students think about the state of politics. The 2016 election was one of the most controversial in American history and we, as a country, are still going through the aftermath of it.

So how does all of this affect the opinions of the student body?

In the Trump era, you’ve most likely heard biased news sources telling you either he is either radically good or bad. In the culture wars of today, it’s us vs. them.

Much of politics gets rather complicated and when things get complicated, people get frustrated. Very few young people actually care about politics very much and barely vote when they are needed most.

This is backed up by data from the Brookings Institute that showed only 50 percent of those between 18-29 years old voted in the 2016 election. This low voter turnout corresponds with general political apathy among young people.

Marin County, and much of the Bay Area, is often described as one of the most liberal regions in the country. When surveying 61 students, the following data resulted. Although those who identify with the left still hold a majority, moderates have a considerable number of the population and those on the right still remain a minority group.

The rise of both Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders as anti-establishment candidates shows the attitude of the country. Most people are discontent with the status quo in Washington, D.C. Students generally think that the federal government is unproductive today. In the same survey, 88.3 percent of students felt that the current Republican government is not getting many things done.

Many students here, think that the government is not very productive. This may correspond with how few still have hope in politicians today. Together, these figures represent general apathy among the student population.

The surveys asked 61 random students these questions in an effort to represent the entire student body. Many students may be upset but are they going to do anything about it? Coming up in 2018 are the midterms.

Of those who will be able to vote in the November 2018 midterms, 96.77 percent said that they will vote. These elections will decide who represents the people in Congress. In 2014, the last midterms, the voter participation rate was 73.14 percent. The 96.77 percent rate is much higher at Drake but, it must be taken into account that not everyone who said that they will vote will actually vote a year from now.

Frustration in politics from young people causes them to believe that they cannot influence the system at all. Similar to previous generations, this political apathy will either take greater education or a once-in-a-lifetime candidate to get the youth back into politics.