As Americans prepare to receive the president’s jobs plan Thursday night, a new poll revealed that a majority of young women ages 18–29 hold fiscally conservative views and do not believe current political leaders speak for them.
The data from Generation Opportunity — a nonprofit organization focused on the representation of young Americans in government — reveal that 71 percent of these women would favor a decrease in federal spending over increases in personal income taxes as a solution to balance the budget.
Sixty-seven percent of young women told pollsters that current leaders do not represent their interests. Sixty percent think leadership in D.C. is lacking.
“Young adult women are working diligently to chart their own course forward professionally and personally, and their experiences chronicle the under-reported human costs stemming from failed policies and the lack of opportunity,” said Paul T. Conway, President of Generation Opportunity and former Chief of Staff at the U.S. Department of Labor. “Professional goals, personal plans and the momentum for advancement have either been placed on hold or are at-risk of stalling completely — Millennial women know America can do better.”
“Young adult women will closely watch the plans offered by leaders in both parties and make their determinations on who they choose to send back to Washington based on results, not rhetoric,” Conway added.
Also included in the survey of young women were questions about how the poor U.S. economy has personally affected them.
According to the poll, 79 percent of young adult women said they “either have or will delay a major life change or purchase due to current economic factors.” Almost half said they had delayed, or will delay, buying a house. Another 27 percent said they they are putting plans to start a family on hold due to the current economic situation.
The Generation Opportunity poll sampled the opinions of 600 U.S. women and has a margin of error of ±4 percentage points.
