photo: Ayesha Walker - Youth Radio/ BY-NC-SA

Before President Obama was elected he was able to connect and gain the support of young voters, but do young Americans still have his back? A study done by the Institute of Politics at Harvard University looks at young Americans’ attitudes toward politics and public service. The survey measures the extent to which young adults are likely to remain active in politics and public affairs. The survey looked at 3,117 young people ages 18 to 29. Questions ran the gamut of issues:

• Political preferences and activity, including voting in the 2010 midterms;
• Opinions of President Obama and Congress
• Trust in American and international institutions
• Political ideology and world view
• The personal effects of the current economy and
• The use of social networking tools such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

(via The Gaggle and Survey) 

The survey shows that young people are still cheering for President Obama despite sending more troops and the country's financial suffering. In fact 44 percent approve the way President Obama is handling health care. 46 percent feel he is handling our country’s economy the right way, 42 percent agree on his views on Iran and 43 percent in Afghanistan. Only 40 percent approve the way he is handling the federal budget deficit. Less than half of the 3,117 young people interviewed agree with the way he is handling things. But when ask “Do you approve or disapprove of the job performance of Barack Obama, Democrats in Congress, and Republicans in Congress? The numbers were higher for President Obama—56 percent feel comfortable with his job.

The survey also shed some light on the distrust young people have on American’s institutions. When asked “How often do you trust____ to do the right thing?” 53 percent said they trust the U.S Military to do the right thing while 11 percent trust Wall St. Executives. Do young people trust the President? According to this study only 44 percent of young people do. Young people have more faith in the Supreme Court and the U.S Military to do the right thing than the President. Should President Obama be worried that young people don’t fully trust him? Maybe he should if he plans to get re-elected.

The economy continues to be the main concern for young people with Health Care falling second. It’s obvious that President Obama needs to restore the U.S economy in order for young people to fully support him.

At the moment, less than one in four (23%) 18 to 29 year olds believe things are generally headed in the right direction, 36 percent say things are off on the wrong track -- with a slight plurality (40%) unsure which direction the country is headed.