(CNN) -- From cyberspace to college campuses, many young conservatives are worried that Sen. John McCain is not appealing to their generation. 

Sen. John McCain says he knows how important young voters are. 

At a town hall meeting in Ohio this month, a student told McCain that Republicans were a dying breed on his campus. 

"I understand the challenge I have, and I understand that this election is really all about the people of your generation," McCain said. 

Many young Republicans said Sen. Barack Obama, the 46-year-old junior senator from Illinois, is inspiring voters their age, but McCain, the 71-year-old Arizona senator who has been in office since the early '80s, is not. 

Eric Perlmutter, a Republican and student at the at the University of Southern California, said the roaring enthusiasm that follows Obama is missing among conservatives his age. 

"We try to get people out to our college Republican meetings, but ... we can't seem to draw the same kind of vocal support," he said. 

At the July town hall meeting in Portsmouth, Ohio, McCain said he knows that he has "a lot of work to do" with the younger voters. 

The senator said he needs young conservatives to help spread his message for him, because "there's nothing that convinces young people like other young people." 

McCain also acknowledged the importance of using the Internet to reach out to a generation that stays in touch via social networking sites. 

On MySpace, Obama has more than 427,000 friends, compared with fewer than 60,000 for McCain. 
Doe he appeal to the youth?
McCain said he knows that he has "a lot of work to do" with the younger voters. 