Fiscal issues now tops terrorism as the greatest threat to national security, young people say. A poll from the nonpartisan, nonprofit Generation Opportunity shows Americans 18-29 say the nation's debt is the top issue threatening U.S. security.
This comes on the heels of President Obama's speech to the nation addressing debt, and a back-and-forth fight between parties that threatens to push the nation into default.
In priority order, young Americans believe the national debt, increased dependency on foreign sources of energy, and America's indebtedness to foreign powers have made America more vulnerable. And they think it's Washington's fault.
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Young Americans say elected officials need to get the nation on more stable economic footing by cutting federal spending rather than raising taxes and by increasing the production of domestic energy sources such as oil, natural gas and coal, the poll finds.
"The generation that's expected to pay the skyrocketing federal debt is sending a clear signal to elected leaders of both parties in Washington: Federal spending and debt, our indebtedness to foreign powers and our dependency on overseas sources of energy have placed the United States at risk," Generation Opportunity President Paul Conway says.
The threat of terrorism followed as the fourth major national security concern.
On solving fiscal problems, 76 percent of millennials say they'd like to see federal spending decreased, and 69 percent prefer reducing federal spending over raising taxes on individuals in order to balance the federal budget.
"These young Americans have witnessed first-hand how the poor economy and the lack of economic opportunity have negatively impacted their own lives, they think Washington is out of touch with their concerns and they know the status quo and continued failure to lead jeopardizes both our present national security and our future status as a global leader," Conway says.
More than half say they are not confident the United States will be a global leader in just 10 years. Only nine percent say they were "very confident" that the country would be. The poll indicates that most young Americans have a problem with government interference, with most saying the economy grows best when individuals are allowed to create businesses without government interference.
Also, 53 percent say if taxes on business profits were reduced, companies would be more likely to hire.
Earlier this month, Generation Opportunity reported that under a third of millennials approve of Obama's handling of youth unemployment.
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