A recent poll by Generation Opportunity revealed that 72 percent of Independent Millennials in Ohio plan to vote in the presidential election, only 19 percent believe the country is headed in the right direction, and 80 percent say key life decisions have been delayed by the poor national economy.
The poll also found that of the "Get Out The Vote" (GOTV) reminder tools that will have an impact on Independent young voter turnout in Ohio, Facebook ranked first at 54 percent and text messages ranked second at 39 percent. Only 11 percent of Ohio's Independent young adults thought a phone call would be effective - a clear indication that smartphones and other mobile devices have reached a point of heavy market penetration within the demographic.
Generation Opportunity has over 4 million fans on Facebook and direct grassroots engagement with over a quarter million young Americans. The organization has over 130,000 followers across the state of Ohio developed through social media and grassroots activities.
The data on the Independent voters from the comprehensive Ohio-specific survey of young adults ages 18-29 found that only 13 percent of Independent young adults in Ohio say that the economic policies coming out of Washington are helping them and only 28 percent approve of President Obama's handling of youth unemployment. 30 percent of the youth in the state think that President Obama's policies have helped create jobs in Ohio.
Seventy-three percent agree with the statement "the economy grows best when individuals are allowed to create businesses without government interference." Seventy-six agree with the statement "if taxes on business profits were reduced, companies would be more likely to hire." Sixty-nine percent believe the availability of more quality, full-time jobs upon graduation is more important than lower student loan interest rates. Seventy-one percent say the availability of more quality, full-time jobs with health insurance plans is more important than the ability to stay on their parents' health insurance plans until they are 26.
While 80 percent said they would decrease federal spending if given the opportunity to set America's fiscal priorities, 77 percent prefer reducing federal spending over raising taxes on individuals to balance the budget. Sixty-five percent would increase production of domestic American energy sources like oil, natural gas, and coal if given the opportunity to set America's fiscal priorities.
The survey reveals that 72 percent of 18-29 year old Ohio Independents plan to vote in the election for President this year. Only 26 percent believe that today's political leaders reflect the interests of young Americans. Only 19 percent agree with the statement "generally speaking, things in the United States are heading in the right direction."
Sixty-four percent are not confident that America will still be a global leader in five years if the USA continues along the same path as the last few years. Forty-six percent agreed they will learn more about the policy positions of the presidential candidates in 2012 than they did in 2008.
When asked what will be the more important to them in casting vote for President in 2012, 53 percent said a candidate's position on issues and a record in public office while 8 percent would vote for a candidate's personal characteristics, like charisma and likeability.
