Young American voters are widely disappointed with politics, study shows

A new Pew Research report says Americans have "dismal" views of their national politics. Unfavorable sentiments have been a problem for decades, the report explains.

The unfavorable perception of politics, institutions, and elected officials is widely shared among all American demographics and highly or less politically engaged citizens.

However, there are a few areas where the opinion of younger voters, those under 50 or 30, is much more gloomy than their older peer's perception.

According to the report, only three in ten adults under 30 have confidence in the future of the political system, while 1 in four over 65 say they have at least some.

Adults under 50 are more likely to have unfavorable views (37%) of both parties than they are to favor any, especially the Republican party (24%).

Only half believe their vote can make a difference in the country's future, while more than 60% of older voters do. That is especially true among Republicans under 30: only 44% believe their votes count.

Still, young voters trust the voting system more than older. They are less prone to demand requiring photo IDs for voting and more inclined to favor automatic voter registration.

About half of adults over 65 believe that congress members care at least somewhat about their constituents, and only a third of adults under 30 feel the same.

30% of adults under 50 say neither party represents them, ten points higher than the 20% of adults over 50 who feel the same. Younger voters are also more likely to believe that more parties could be good.

While most Americans agree with replacing the Electoral College with the popular vote system for presidential elections, younger voters are more likely to favor that option.

However, Republicans of all ages are far less likely to favor switching to the popular vote. While over 80% of Democrats and 60% of independents agree, only 40% of Republicans agree.

Younger voters are also more likely to support adding more Justices to the Supreme Court than their older peers, while they also would lean toward placing age limits for the institution.

However, when discussing other institutions, like the White House or Congress, the report concluded that the support for term or age limits is broad across all ages.

Young voters are not the only demographic disappointed with US politics. The report's broader conclusions show that most Americans (63%) are dissatisfied with their presidential candidates, and many (28%) dislike both parties.

The report also warns that positive perceptions of governmental and political institutions are at historic lows. Only 16% of Americans trust their Government all or most of the time.

However, the most severe conclusion of the report is that only 4% of American adults think their political system works very well.