CBS Poll: Economy Worries Young Voters
Young Americans Also Show Strong Support For Obama In CBS News/MTV Survey
-
Photo
In this March 18, 2008, file photo Democratic presidential hopeful, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., greets young supporters at a campaign rally in Millersville, Pa. (AP)
-
Play CBS Video
Video
What Will Pa. Tell Us?
Senior Political Correspondent Jeff Greenfield tells Russ Mitchell that the first several days after the upcoming Democratic Pa. primary election could reveal tell tale signs for the candidates.
-
News Tools
Poll Database
Search for results from the latest CBS News national polls on the president, the campaign and more.
Twenty-two percent of young adults surveyed cited the economy as the number one issue facing their generation, compared to 13 percent who said the war in Iraq. In a similar poll conducted last June, the war topped the list of concerns with 19 percent.
When it comes to the economy, young adults are just as pessimistic as all adults nationwide. Seventy five percent said the state of the economy is bad, compared to 78 percent who said so among adults overall in March. Just 22 percent of young people said they felt the state of the economy is good.
And just one-third of young adults said they feel their job prospects are excellent or good. Sixty seven percent said they felt their employment opportunities would be fair or poor. Those numbers are almost identical to how young people felt in a CBS News/MTV poll conducted in September of 2004.
Read The Complete Poll ResultsAsked about the biggest long-term problems their generation will face, 34 percent said the economy while 18 percent cited the environment. Just 11 percent put the issues of war and terrorism at the top of their list of concerns over the next twenty years.
About half of young adults say they think the presidential candidates are paying the right amount of attention to the economy but 65 percent say job opportunities for younger workers does not get enough attention on the campaign trail. Thirty three percent say economic issues will be their top issue in November’s elections while 25 percent say it will be the war in Iraq. Most of those who said the war was their topic election issue said the candidates are making it a priority while those who said the economy want to hear more.
And young adults say the candidates are not doing enough either in general or on specifics to address concerns of global warming. Forty seven percent said the candidates are not spending enough time on the issue and 65 percent said they have not addressed specific plans to reduce the use of oil and gas.
Young voters who have either already voted in a Democratic primary or intend to support Barack Obama over Hillary Clinton by a 48 percent to 37 percent margin. While over 60 percent of supporters for each candidate say they strongly support their choice, just 29 percent of all young voters say there are large differences between the two.
Both Democrats lead presumptive Republican nominee John McCain among younger voters in a fall matchup. Obama bests McCain in the poll 52 percent to 39 percent while Clinton leads 51 percent to 40 percent. Both Democrats were given higher marks when young adults were asked which candidates care about their issues. Eight eight percent said they thought Obama cared a lot or some about the problems of young people while 78 percent said the same of Clinton. Just 57 percent said they thought John McCain cared a lot or some about their problems.
When it comes to the war in Iraq, young adults are looking for a president who will end it. Sixty six percent say the next president should end the war while 33 percent say it should continue.
Young people see themselves having as much of an impact on the outcome of the presidential campaign as any other age group. Thirty six percent said they thought their age group would have as much influence on the election as older voters while 31 percent said they would have more influence. Thirty one percent said they thought their age group would have less. And 75 percent said this election will be the most important or one of the most important in their lifetimes.
Eighty four percent of those under 30 said they are paying some or a lot of attention to the campaign and 77 percent described it as interesting, compared to 21 percent who said it was dull.
The Internet and social networking sites play a large role in the lives of young people. Three in four Americans under the age of 30 use networking sites like Facebook and MySpace and six in ten have their own pages on such sites. About one quarter of young adults say they have visited a candidate’s Web site. Still, 71 percent said a lot of their political information comes from television while just 15 percent said a lot of it comes from Web sites and blogs. Twelve percent say they get a lot of their political information from late night talk and comedy shows.
__________________________________________________________________
This poll was conducted jointly by CBS News and MTV. Interviews were conducted by telephone among 526 18 to 29 year olds April 10th-15th 2008. These respondents were part of nationwide representative samples identified in households previously interviewed in CBS News Polls, and from RDD samples of both standard land-lines and cell phones. The sample is weighted to ensure that the distribution of interviews mirrors the distribution of the entire population of 18 to 29 year-olds across a variety of variables, and for the likelihood of a respondent’s selection within a household. The weights were adjusted to match Census Bureau estimates of 18 to 29 year-olds by age, presence of both 18-24 year olds and 25-29 year olds in the same household, education, gender, marital status, and census region. The margin of error for this survey is plus or minus four percentage points for results based on the entire sample.
©MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
- Latest in Opinion: CBS News Polls
- Poll: Most Back Public Health Care Option
- Poll: Sotomayor Still An Unknown
- Poll: No Dent In Obama's Popularity



- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- next
See all 189 Comments--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by JACK3213 at 08:11 AM : Apr 21, 2008
+ report abuse
Ummm?? IF you check the record Swastika Breath Churchill NEVER said that about AMERICAN LIBERALS who were doing everything they could to keep the radical rightwinger HITLER from distroying thier Country!! ROFLMAO But why stop there.. with YOUR mentality we should NEVER have elected Jefferson, Madison, Lincoln, Teddy of Franklin, Truman, Kennedy... the list goes on. When you want to talk about LIBERALS, even the RADICAL one''s as the King called Jefferson, you are talking about the very SOUL of this nation. Now do you think maybe you should pick up a night course in AMERICAN History somewhere??? Sieg Heil Bush
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by JACK3213 at 08:09 AM : Apr 21, 2008
+ report abuse
OLDER AMERICAN''s elected George W. Bush, the WORST in US HISTORY and you want to say this about the young? LOL You sound like a very bitter person who is so afraid of change you will live with the worst. Just a guess.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by JACK3213 at 08:28 AM : Apr 21, 2008
+ report abuse
LOOK I don''t know what planet YOU have been on Sparky but Bush and the Republicans took over a nation at peace, with a balanced budget and a surplus! Today our kids are dying in a war based on LIES, we have a record deficit, we''re borrowing money to fight that needless war AND we have a 9.3 Trillion Dollar debt that''s growing at the rate of 1 MILLION Dollars a MINUTE. So who should we blame for that MESS? If it wasn''t the Republican''s who sat on their duffs and allowed some of the most incompetent department heads to become part of this Administration who the Helll was it? Now you are obviously scared of change but if you can''t see a need for it, you either don''t care about the country or care more for your "Party" than your country. Sieg Heil Bush
Posted by jh6379 at 08:58 AM : Apr 21, 2008
Ditto
I have listened to the campaign garbage for too long, when is the election going to finally get here? I have listened to claims of this and that and many untruths from everyone. I have listened to the slogan of "change'' but I am not sure what we are changing.
It comes down to romancing the voters and telling them what they want to hear. Then the truth comes out. IF, we could hold the politicians responsible for their campaign promises, and there was some punishment for telling outright lies, then maybe, just maybe we could have a bit of faith in Washington.
I was punished for my lies and so are my children, why not someone that stands up in front of the country and tells lies?
Maybe the young don''t have that much experience but yoiu have to remember they are the future of this country. Talking down to them will only turn them away from you. I only hope they will look at all the issues and not be taken in by the lies obama is spreading. We do not need a racists in the oval office that has ties to the terrorists and with a criminal associate. I think each generation is gettimng smarter and we need to respect that. We should try to show them what the truth is and in the end they will choose who they think is best.
Posted by skyk at 08:24 AM : Apr 21, 2008
Nah, Jimmy Carter still holds that record!
I am afraid you are right and the younger generation are the ones who have to pick up the tab. It isn''t fair but that is the way it is.
Posted by bgwinnett at 09:10 AM : Apr 21, 2008"
You think there were no terrifying times coming, back in the 40''s ?
I am afraid you are wrong, mo ome can beat bush for the title of the worst president in history, followed closely by his father.
Posted by jh6379 at 08:58 AM : Apr 21, 2008
Ditto
Posted by abbe91 at 09:01 AM : Apr 21, 2008
Yeah, nice post McPussy!
Don''t forget there are some older soldiers serving and dying over there as well for bush''s blood money
The advantage you would have is knowing that we have been thru all this before.
Living thru the Carter and Nixon admininstrations makes one one tough. Gas was higher during Carter, adjusting for dollar value and availibility was limited.
The only way I was able to keep my business going was that a station reserved fuel for my trucks.
Go full steam ahead, you will make this a better world.
Give credit where due. Who do you think was running this country while Bill was getting ******** ? The economy did great when the clintons were in office. And Hillary also says she will pull us out of Iraq. I believe her over obama on everything.Mccain wants to continue the war so he can get filthy rich like bush
I like the way the Budhists think. They believe how you live your life will come back to you ten fold, good or bad. I can''t wait to see georgie and hismregime get wht they have coming to them
-----OBAMA / WEBB to WIN-----
It is possible that Senator Clinton is the best candidate. However, even though many may like the policies that Senator Clinton proposes, they should also consider her record, just as Senator Clinton insists.
.
The last Clinton Administration, when faced with the fact that protection rackets where assaulting, torturing and murdering people with poison and radiation, chose to avoid its responsibilities to incarcerate the criminals and to protect the citizenry.
.
Instead, they made a deal with the criminal gang stalker protection rackets to leave them alone and to consequently abandon the citizenry.
.
Do we want a President who sells out the citizenry for votes?
.
Do we want a President who sends a "crime does pay" message to society?
.
Would you vote for a President who signed nonaggression deals with the KKKlan or the Nazi party? Gangs that torture with poison and radiation are much like the KKKlan and Nazi Party.
.
We do not need a sellout President. We need a principled leader President.
.
If you are one of the few who do not know what the above refers to, do a web search for %u201Cgang stalking%u201D to see the tip of the dirtberg. Please do it before you decide to reply to my post. Here let me make it easy for you: http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%22gang+stalking%22.
.
Ok you want to bad mouth Clinton. How about the truth about obama ? His racial contacts in and out of his church, his contacts with terrorists, his contacts with known criminals. We do not need a racists in the oval office of any color. W
Ok you want to bad mouth Clinton. How about the truth about obama ? His racial contacts in and out of his church, his contacts with terrorists, his contacts with known criminals. We do not need a racists in the oval office of any color. W
Ok you want to bad mouth Clinton. How about the truth about obama ? His racial contacts in and out of his church, his contacts with terrorists, his contacts with known criminals. We do not need a racists in the oval office of any color. W
I wish I was born in 40''''s and not the 70''''s.Because whats round the corner is terrifying times I think.
This will not a good time in this country''''s lifespan to be young, as I think we are heading into this country''''s most troubling period in it''''s entire history. I hope I''''m wrong BTW.
I was born in 1943 and my two daughters were born in 1976 and 77 fourteen months apart.
I was born during World War II and you were born right after Vietnam if you were born in 74 or afterward in the 70''s.
No question we are in uncharted terrify times.
We as humaans can take comfort that God is still on the throne and is in complete conrol of all events.
Jesus will one day return to the earth in His Glroy.
Have faith in God and He will grant you comfort until time and seasons are no more.
Posted by bgwinnett at 09:10 AM : Apr 21, 2008"
You think there were no terrifying times coming, back in the 40''''s ?
Posted by abbe91
Off course there was, but this time it''s greater,The US financial system, and that of a large part of the world, is lethally hurt, due to over leverage and it''s crippling losses. US banks have no more money, it is as simple and dramatic as that, no matter what the Fed does.A real collapse of the US economy is coming and with that a new world order.How it is handled by the great powers is key to maintaining world stability.
Furthermore nuclear weapons have so far ensured peace, between the great powers in the last 60 years thanks to the horrible implications of MAD, that may change with further proliferation by minor powers or terrorists getting hold of them and potential confrontation between rival power poles over dwindling resources.
When are we going to have a politician get national media coverage who has the cojones to say that WE NEED TO END THE WAR ON DRUGS RIGHT EFFING NOW!!!!!!!
This issue to is of greater concern to me than the war in Iraq. Its the elephant in the room that no one wants to talk about. Until we have a mainstream candidate with chance in h3ll of winning who is willing to address this issue in a straightforward, honest, non-hypocritical manner, I will forever be distrustful of my government and the special interests groups that pull its strings.
LEGALIZE DRUGS OR YOU DON''T GET MY VOTE.
It''s that simple. I''m tired of my basic human rights being infringed upon by a bunch of racist, religiously and culturally predjudiced fascist idiots.
let me just say in passing ,
I am really glad to know our nations future rests with these, illuminated young voters and their Candidate of Change !
now is that Pocket Change , Short Change , or Quick Change ?
in any event I am sure that the Hawvard graduates have it all figured out, now I can breathe easy with my retirement check.
sincerely looking forward to all the Change Bear
Fuzzy
It''s time for a different kind of leader. It''s time for a change.
It''s time for Obama!
Richard Nixon took the U.S. off gold so that the U.S. - & everybody else, in order to keep up - could & would print currency like there was no tomorrow %u2013 so our rich could get richer faster.
Reagan screwed the tax laws around, & began the movement of the inequality curve back to 1929 levels so our rich could get richer faster.
Bush Sr. had a wonderful idea to break the power of labor & increase profits - simply make everything offshore, & the rich could get richer faster.
Clinton was all over that idea like white on rice...so much so that schools are named after him in India. (Meanwhile, Momma Clinton also rode the "free trade" train.) All so the stockholders & the CEOs - well, the rich - could get richer faster.
Bush Jr. brought even more tax cuts & initiated a vast increase in the cost of energy further increasing the rate of the flow of America%u2019s money from the bottom up %u2013 again, so the rich could get richer faster.
The Fed, in order to make Bush''s tax cuts look like they worked, flooded America''s economy with credit - driving the value of the dollar down & everything else up.
In terms of gold [courtesy Bill Bonner writing for Agora Financial] the inflation-adjusted annual wage for an American worker was $76,000 in the late 19th Century...& today? Only $38,000.
Our young should worry...their futures have been pillaged to make our rich richer.
But I bet the latter still blame it on Social Security.
= Perfect economic storm!
look at the benefits of being sold out to corporate America ? and why we should all seek the change.
more Job security , the bigger the corporation the more job security .
the larger the Corporate Branch of goverment gets the better qualified the Finacial bearcracy becomes.
do you really want Ted Kennedy to mange your portfolio ? think about it.
yes my young friend we all need to support our corporate friends , so all that is needed is your change of thinking.
sincerely trying to help out the big guys Bear
Fuzzy
"AMERICA EATS ITS BABIES."
Sorry American children, no future for you. The dinosaur boomers can only provide for their own lavish retirements, while you get thrown to the wolves.
When my grandfather came here in the early 20th century, he had $50 to his name. Within ten years of working at a factory job, he OWNED the apartment building he lived in.
Fast forward to today: my job prospects suck, my money is worthless, and it seems doubtful that I will ever be able to afford any kind of real estate. I will always live in run-down tenaments, living month-to month, making the landlord richer.
Right out of the womb, they attach a plow to our backs. So long, land of opportunity.
Posted by magnetrack at 09:57 AM : Apr 21, 2008
lollll...oh, yes - Mrs. William "I''m for the working people of America!" Clinton.
(Just ignore her six years on the board of Wal-Mart and her eight years of not saying jack-*** about Bill''s shoving America''s jobs out the window.)
where did you think all those free colledge grants came from ?
if it weren`t for our corporate friends we would all be selling lemonade to fund the colleges.
and what about the computers ? where did you think your college computer lab came from ?
did all those printers and software come from the Change Fairy ?
so now that you feel foolish my young voting friends.
try not to bite the hand that feeds you.
sincerely your corporate sponser Bear
Fuzzy
She hasn''t been paying her campaign bills.
She owed more money at the start of April than she could spend in the primary.
Why doesn''t she loan her campaign more money so small businesses across the country aren''t forced out of business by her failure to pay?
I think Hillary is by far the brightest candidate and knows how to work within the system. It is naive to think that you can radically change it and we don''t have time to waste waiting for someone to figure it out. Our problems are monumental and mounting every day.
Posted by doctorj2012 at 10:01 AM : Apr 21, 2008
LOL!!!
Posted by jbright9 at 10:04 AM : Apr 21, 2008
And why are our problems monumental and mounting every day?
Because their is this evil legion of status quo flying monkeys (think "Wizard of Oz" and chant "Ohhhh Noooo...that won''t goooo") WHO DON''T WANT IT TO CHANGE BECAUSE IT ENRICHES THEM.
And that is why they support Hillary, and the future be damned.
Posted by magnetrack
what about mcclone? if you liked the last 7 years of deficit spending, which our youngsters get to pay for; if you like recessions every 4 years; and if you like sending all of our jobs overseas,
then mcclone is your man.
just remember that at the end of your college graduation and party bash , there will be a friendly corporate sponsor waiting to meet you the next morning at the Job Fair,
so please try to be dressed neat and clean and at least pretend to be happy to meet your new Corporate sponsor.
sincerely pulling for you even if it takes 6 years to graduate Bear
Fuzzy
Posted by johngoodnews at 10:04 AM : Apr 21, 2008
...so they can finish the job of killing America.
No Hussein Terrorism 2008
just remember that at the end of your college graduation and party bash , there will be a friendly corporate sponsor waiting to meet you the next morning at the Job Fair,
so please try to be dressed neat and clean and at least pretend to be happy to meet your new Corporate sponsor.
sincerely pulling for you even if it takes 6 years to graduate Bear
Fuzzy
Posted by FuzzyBear9 at 10:11 AM : Apr 21, 2008
The transformation from a useless, Gore-hugging, amoral, dirt-bag liberal into a respectable conservative is a beautiful thing, isn''t it?
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- next
See all 189 Comments