Survey: America's teens are politically polarized

NEW YORK (FOX 5 NEWS) - In the months following the election of Donald Trump, we've seen countless protests calling for change -- a reminder that much of the nation is still divided. And now, a new study shows the upcoming generation of voters mirrors many of those same feelings.

The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research conducted a survey via phone and internet of children 13 to 17 years old. That study, released Monday, found that America's teens are politically polarized about the country's divisions and almost as pessimistic as their parents.

Clinical psychologist Jeff Gardere says this thinking is normal.

From the sample size of 790 teenagers, 8 in 10 feel the nation is divided when it comes to our most important values. And fewer than 2 in 10 teens surveyed feel the federal government is doing a good job representing most Americans' views.

But despite the issues we face, the study shows teens are more likely than their parents to have optimism for the future. 56 percent of teens surveyed still believe America's best days are ahead of them.

The group of 13- and 14-year-old boys we talked to in Bayonne, New Jersey, agreed, adding they're hopeful the future.

As this young generation shows they take an active interest in our country's well-being, in four years most of them will be able make their voice heard in a different way by voting in the 2020 election.