More Signs That a Generation of Young Americans (18-29) Have Been Left Adrift by Joblessness as U.S. Department of Labor Releases Anemic Jobs Numbers for July - Generation Opportunity Statement

POLL:  Among Overall Young Adults 18-29 and Self-Identified Independents 18-29, Majority Believe Government Policies are Impeding Job Growth and Economic Opportunity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Generation Opportunity, the new, non-profit, non-partisan organization educating, engaging, and mobilizing young Americans 18-29 years old on the immediate and long-term economic challenges facing the nation, such as the lack of job opportunities and increasing debt and federal spending, reacts to this morning's anemic July 2011 jobs numbers report issued moments ago by the U.S. Department of Labor.

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"The immediate reaction to this report should be empathy and compassion for the everyday people and families behind these numbers, and frustration toward Washington and the unending stream of policies that suppress job creation. The impact of the poor economy, in human terms, has been devastating. This is especially true for young Americans, whose lives have been interrupted and dreams put on hold due to the lack of economic opportunity. Young adults are confident in their own abilities, and those who are unemployed and underemployed expect Washington to step aside and make way for folks who truly have the expertise to create real jobs," said Paul T. Conway, President of Generation Opportunity and a former Chief of Staff for the U.S. Department of Labor.

Young Americans are being hit especially hard by an economy that is producing record high joblessness for their age group. The unemployment rate remains at a historically high level. This historic rate has continued  for more than two years, and the current rate tops even the worst youth unemployment rate in recent memory, which was recorded in 1980.

YOUNG AMERICANS BY THE NUMBERS: GOVERNMENT SPENDING AND ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY

Generation Opportunity commissioned a poll with the polling company, inc./WomanTrend (April 16 – 22, 2011, +/- 4% margin of error) and highlights of results for all young Americans ages 18-29 and a subset of that data among Self-Identified Independents appear below.  "Independents" includes or refers to "All Independent Groups" - including self-identified "Independent," "Independent Leaning Republican," and "Independent Leaning Democrat."

The Human Cost of the Bad Economy: Millennials (18-29) Forced to Delay Major Life Decisions:

• 77% either have or will delay a major life change or purchase due to economic factors:

44% delay buying a home;

28% delay saving for retirement;

27% delay paying off student loans or other debt;

27% delay going back to school/getting more education or training;

26% delay changing jobs/cities;

23% delay starting a family;

18% say delay getting married

Government Policy, Taxes, and the Creation of More Economic Opportunity:

"If you were given the chance to set America's fiscal priorities, would you increase or decrease federal spending from its current level?"

• 76% of overall Millennials would decrease federal spending
• 79% of Self-Identified Independents would decrease federal spending

"The economy grows best when individuals are allowed to create businesses without government interference."

• 59% of overall Millennials agree
• 59% of Self-Identified Independents agree 

"If taxes on business profits were reduced, companies would be more likely to hire." 

• 53% of overall Millennials agree
• 55% of Self-Identified Independents agree 

ABOUT GENERATION OPPORTUNITY

Generation Opportunity is a non-profit, non-partisan 501 (c)(4) organization that seeks to engage everyone from young adults, to early career professionals, college students, young mothers and fathers, construction workers, current service men and women, veterans, entrepreneurs and all Americans who find themselves dissatisfied with the status quo and willing to create a better tomorrow.

Generation Opportunity operates on a strategy that combines advanced social media tactics with proven field tactics to reach Americans 18-29. The organization announced its first communications platform – "Being American," a Facebook page that has already amassed a fan base of more than 880,000. The page posts links to relevant articles and reports from sources ranging from the federal General Accountability Office (GAO), to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Brookings Institution, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, and The Heritage Foundation.

Read about Generation Opportunity here and visit "Being American" on Facebook by clicking here.

For our Spanish-language page – Generacion Oportunidad – click here.

CONTACT:
Matthew Faraci
202-997-1636
EMAIL

SOURCE Generation Opportunity