Whether Obama or Romney, College Students Set Tough Agenda for Election's Victor

Want focus on economy, education, and healthcare  

OBERLIN, Ohio, Oct. 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- No matter which candidate is elected president Nov. 6, college students have definite ideas about what areas the administration should focus on early in its term.

A September 2012 OnCampus Research omnibus survey of approximately 650 college students revealed that they are very concerned about money this election year, which is understandable considering a good portion of their lives has been spent in a recession.

Fully 69.3% of the 648 respondents rated the economy the most important issue in the 2012 presidential election. This was followed by education (67.7%), and healthcare (66.7%). Other financial issues were top-of-mind with students, as student loans ranked fourth on the list, with 50.4% of respondents saying it was an important issue, followed by the national debt (48.4%).

When asked to indicate how well each of a list of statements described them, a large percentage of the respondents indicated concern about the job market and the amount of loan debt they'll graduate with—again, a direct link to their financial uncertainties.

Other survey findings:

• College students are engaged: 77% of those responding said they intend to vote in the 2012 presidential election
• While a majority said they planned to vote for Barack Obama, 21.3% were undecided
• 35.8% said they were "very influenced" in their voting by a candidate's record

Interestingly, 43.4% said they were "not at all influenced" by Internet/social networking, 46.6% said they weren't influenced by religious affiliations (either their own or the candidate's), and 77% said they weren't influenced by celebrity endorsements.

About OnCampus Research

OnCampus Research is the research division of the National Association of College Stores (NACS), the trade association of the collegiate retailing industry. With more than 75 years of experience in the college industry, OnCampus offers full-service quantitative and qualitative research through an online panel of more than 18,000 students at 1,100 campuses nationwide. Specializing in online surveys, focus groups, omnibus surveys, syndicated studies, and in-depth interviews, OnCampus works with clients to create a strategy that best fits their needs and positions them as the brand of choice among college students.

SOURCE OnCampus Research