Hot Topics

Our generation is experiencing firsthand how the ailing economy and the lack of economic opportunity affect our lives, from the immediate choices we make about day-to-day purchases and travel plans to the long-term decisions we make about our educations, our jobs, and our futures.

According to a Pew Research Center survey published in June 2010, the Great Recession caused more than just a shrinking in the wealth of the average American household. It caused a downsizing of our expectations about the future. For many young people, the decay in economic confidence has lead or will lead to delays in major life decisions or milestones, such as obtaining additional education, paying down student loans, buying a home, getting married, and saving for retirement.

How is the economy affecting you? Involve America wants to know how you are coping with the current economy. Are you struggling to find work? Have you changed your grad school plans? Are you putting off purchases because of concerns about shrinking wages?

In this section, we take a closer look at the economic topics that are dominating our conversations and concerns about the future.