The economy, health care and education aren't just top issues for American voters. They're also the concerns of those who'll be voting for the first time in the next U.S. election, four years from now.
In a recent, nationwide survey by Junior Achievement, almost 73 percent of people between ages 14 and 17 said a top concern was jobs. Students are specifically worried that they'll have trouble finding a job after finishing their education. (The current unemployment rate among Americans ages 16 to 19 is 23.7 percent.)
The economy as a whole was also cited among those surveyed, with 72 percent saying they were concerned about America's fiscal health.
And not surprisingly, many teenagers have questions about their education. The cost of college, the quality of education, and the availability of scholarships were reasons why 64 percent said education was a concern.
Health care was cited by 32 percent of surveyed students, and the environment rounded out the top five concerns with over 18 percent.
Students were split over whom they'd vote for this time around. The Obama/Biden ticket got just over 38 percent support, while the Romney/Ryan ticket received about 37 percent. The margin of error was +/-3.6 percent.
Almost half of those surveyed said they didn't think the candidates had good enough plans to help students land a job after wrapping up their education. And more than half - 56.6 percent - said the candidates were more concerned with winning the election than they were with listening to the American people.
That could contribute to another significant finding: About 14 percent of the teenagers surveyed said they wouldn't vote in this election even if they were old enough.
You can see a graphic representation of the survey results on the Junior Achievement website.


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