What Are Important Political Issues for Young Adults?

Uninformed. Disengaged. Apathetic. All of these words have been used to describe the political involvement of young adults, ages 18 to 29. Although the 18 to 29 age bloc has had the lowest turnout in national elections, polls indicate that their involvement is increasing--if only slowly. The 2008 presidential campaign of Barack Obama made tremendous efforts to reach out to this age group, campaigning for their support through communication channels such as text messaging and social networking websites, such as MySpace and FaceBook. Preliminary data on voter turnout in 2008 released by Pew Research Center indicate that voters ages 18 to 29 accounted for 18 percent of total turnout, a small increase from 17 percent four years ago.

Pew Research reported the results of an NBC News exit poll from the 2008 presidential election that asked voters what they considered the most important issues of the election. The choices included the economy, the war in Iraq, health care, terrorism and energy policy. Overall, according to Pew Research, the issue concerns of young adults largely mirrored those of other age groups.
Among young adult voters (ages 18 to 29), the economy was by far the greatest issue of concern. More than 60 percent of voters in this age group considered the economy the most important issue, as did voters in other age groups. The economic slump that stemmed from the global financial crisis of 2008 contributed to the economy's salience among all voting blocs.
As for other issues listed in the exit poll, 12 percent of young adult voters considered the war in Iraq the most important issue. Ten percent cited energy policy as the most important, and 9 percent called health care the most important. Only 5 percent saw terrorism as the most important issue of concern.

A series of focus groups in 2007 by Rock the Vote, a non-profit organization that strives to increase voter turnout and increase issue awareness among young adults, surveyed the issue landscape among adults ages 18 to 29. The focus groups' findings were largely consistent with those of the 2008 exit poll cited earlier. Young adults ranked the war in Iraq, health care and the economy as the issues of most concern. The difference was that the focus groups revealed the war in Iraq as the top issue for young adults. Events of the time are an important consideration here. In 2007, when the focus groups took place, Iraq dominated the headlines as the Bush administration announced a troop "surge" to combat sectarian violence there. Meanwhile, the housing market collapse and the economic slump that followed were still a year away.

Focus groups in 2007 and polling data in 2008 both found a strong majority of young adults opposed to the war in Iraq. Even many of those who initially supported the war have since become opposed in response to what they see as a lack of progress and the lack of an exit strategy for U.S. troops. Pew Research reported in 2008 that 77% of young adults disapproved of the Iraq war. This percentage was higher than for any other age group polled.

The 2007 focus groups by Rock the Vote found mixed feelings among young adults about the state of the U.S. economy. Many of them felt personally optimistic and that opportunities existed for people who are willing to work hard. However, they expressed pessimism about the economic and financial prospects of their peers. They expressed particular concerns about the rising cost of living.

Rock the Vote reported that health care had nearly as much intensity as the Iraq War as an issue that concerns young adults. Focus group participants expressed frustration about the affordability of health insurance, and many appeared to support a national health care system in concept. Young women were especially concerned about the affordability of health care.