Poll: In tumultuous summer, young Americans in a dour mood

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — In a summer of political and racial tumult, young Americans are in a dour mood: pessimistic about the fairness of their economic system, questioning the greatness of the United States and deeply skeptical of the way the nation picks its leaders.

A new poll of young people between the ages of 18 and 30 finds that an overwhelming 90 percent think the two-party political system has real — though fixable — problems or that it is "seriously broken."

Though the new GenForward survey is a poll of all young people, not necessarily registered or likely voters, it nevertheless shows clear discontent with the two major-party candidates for president.

"Millennials, unfortunately, are subject to an economic and political future that is not of their own making," said Sarah Swanbeck, executive director of the Center on Governing & Investing in the Future at the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.

The first-of-its-kind poll pays special attention to the voices of young adults of color, highlighting how race and ethnicity shape the opinions of a new generation.

There's a strong desire among young people of all races and ethnicities for a third-party challenger to Trump and Clinton: 72 percent of Latinos and whites, 67 percent of Asian-Americans and 63 percent of African-Americans.

A quarter of young people overall say the distribution of wealth and money is fair, but while 32 percent of whites said so, only 12 percent of African-Americans agreed.

Matthew Monnot, an assistant professor at the University of San Francisco School of Management, said wages haven't grown for decades and have, in fact, decreased for lower-paid professions while increasing dramatically for those at the top.