Thanks to the 2016 election, kids don't want to be president anymore


Did you want to grow up to be president when you were a kid? For many American children, it isn't uncommon to aspire to run the country someday. This year, though, nearly two-thirds of children responded to a survey saying they have no interest in growing up to be president — results that highlight 2016's election fatigue as well as the pressure and stress surrounding the November ballot, The Washington Post reports:
The kids polled said being president was too difficult, too stressful, and too much pressure. One unnamed 9-year-old girl said she wouldn't want the job because she "would be scared that I would do something wrong if I get elected" and that she "wouldn't like all of the attention."Parents are not shielding their children from the political news — 80 percent of kids said the election is discussed at home. And even if the negativity and anxiety of this presidential campaign is not explicitly or intentionally shared, kids pick up on information around them. So, if they're privy to the same vitriol as the rest of the adult public, it's no wonder a majority of kids would want no part of presidential politics. [The Washington Post]
Many of the concerns adults have about this year's presidential candidates concern children, too. Forty-four percent of kids said that honesty is the most important trait for a president, followed by 19 percent who said kindness and 18 percent who said smarts.
"Our children are watching and listening to us. When they hear us talking about a candidate's trustworthiness, as we have in spades during this election cycle, they pick up on it and it's reinforcing what they already tend to believe," said Christine French Cully, the editor-in-chief of Highlights, a children's magazine. The Highlights survey reached 2,000 American kids between 6 and 12 years old, and you can read more about the results here.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.
-
Israel faces international anger as Gazans starve
Feature World leaders pressure Israel to let in aid as famine spreads across Gaza
-
Redistricting: How the GOP could win in 2026
Feature Trump pushes early redistricting in Texas to help Republicans keep control of the House in next year's elections
-
Tariffs: Is Trump winning his trade war?
Feature Trump secures a new trade deal as Europe agrees to 15% tariffs
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talk
Speed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'
Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively