Political parties: Adults under 50 want more to choose from, survey shows

Adults under 50 want more political parties to choose from: Survey

48% under 30 and 46% aged 30-49 want more political parties
37% overall desire more parties amid major party dissatisfaction
26% see more parties aiding problem-solving, but 24% disagree

Updated: Oct 21, 2023 / 08:13 PM EDT

Commuters walk past a vote “yes” stand for the upcoming Voice referendum at the Civic Bus Interchange in Canberra, Australia, Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced that Australians will vote on Oct. 14 in a referendum that would enshrine in the nation’s constitution a mechanism for Indigenous people to advise Parliament on policies that effect their lives known as the Voice. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)

(NewsNation) — Nearly half of U.S. adults under the age of 50 say they wish for more than two political parties to vote for, according to a recent survey.

The Pew Research Center poll reveals that 48% of adults under 30 and 46% of adults between the ages of 30 and 49 say they wish there were more political parties to choose from.

The survey reveals that, as an increasing number of Americans hold unfavorable opinions of both major parties, 37% of them desire a broader selection of political parties to choose from.

While there is significant skepticism that having more parties would simplify the nation’s issues, approximately 26% of adults believe it would facilitate problem-solving, whereas nearly as many, 24%, think it would not, according to the survey.

Among Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents, 44% express a frequent desire for more political parties, a sentiment shared by 32% of Republicans and Republican-leaning individuals.

Around 39% of Americans aged 18 to 29 believe that the presence of more parties would facilitate problem-solving, while only 12% of those aged 65 and older share this view according to the survey.

Those on the fence are more inclined than committed partisans to believe that additional parties would enhance the nation’s problem-solving capacity. Democratic leaners (44%) are more likely than Republican leaners (29%) to hold this perspective.