Voting is still important to young people but they doubt political parties ability to deliver, a new survey has found.

According to research published on Wednesday for the YMCA and Charter88, most young people still look to traditional political parties to solve social and economic problems but their confidence in them declines rapidly as they get older.

Researchers found 42 percent of 16 to 22-year-olds believed voting offered the greatest influence over what goes on in the world today and only 20 percent believed demonstrations were an effective way of bringing change.

Ideological fervour, the burning desire to change the world and the belief that politics is the art of the possible still exists among 50 per cent of 16 to 17-year-olds. They told the survey they believed politicians have influence over issues such as crime.

The bad news is that this belief wears off sometime after they become eligible to vote for the first time and apathy towards politicians rules among the majority of 20 to 22-year-olds. Only 35 per cent of them believe politicians have influence. This is backed by the general election turnout which saw the lowest turn-out among new voters ever.

This could partly be because young voters think they are ignored by the political parties. Over 91 percent of the people who took part said they would be more likely to vote if parties addressed issues that matter to young people.

Disenchantment with powerful global corporations or the rise of businessmen such as Richard Branson as role models has also influenced perceptions. Young people thought business had more influence over their lives than government, with 21 percent believing it had a lot of influence compared to 16 percent for government.

Local government and the EU fared worst in the survey; only three percent thought the EU had a lot of influence and just two percent for local government.

Chris Lawrence Pietroni, deputy director of Charter88, believed the main political parties were failing to connect with young people.

"Politicians must ensure that the substance and content of politics keeps young people engaged, not turns them off as soon as they mark their ballot paper. They are not interested in gimmicks, such as party endorsements by celebrities, but in concrete issues. Young people want to see politicians tackling concerns that matter to young people and parliamentary candidates who look more like themselves," he said.