WASHINGTON — Young adults are financially anxious, worried that they can’t meet their educational, housing and health care needs, according to a new poll that exposes growing pessimism.

The poll by Harvard’s Institute of Politics found that six out of 10 of those surveyed worry they may not meet their current bills and obligations. Nearly half of those attending college wonder whether they will be able to afford to stay in school. And more than eight out of 10 said they expect difficulty finding a job after graduation.

Fewer than half said they believe they will be better off than their parents when they reach their parents’ age.

With the country in the midst of a slow economic recovery with nearly 10 percent unemployment, the data finds a deep sense of gloom among 18-29 year olds.

Four out of 10 respondents described themselves as politically independent, 36 percent affiliated themselves with Democrats and 23 percent said they considered themselves Republican. But young Republicans displayed more enthusiasm for the 2010 midterm elections, with those who said they disapproved of President Barack Obama’s job performance saying they were more likely to vote than those who said they approved of his performance.

The economy dwarfed health care and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as the issue that concerned young adults the most. Forty-five percent cited the economy as their top worry, while only 17 percent mentioned health care and 6 percent cited the wars.

The poll conducted by Knowledge Networks surveyed 3,117 U.S. citizens between the ages of 18 and 29, and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.3 percentage points.