A new survey out again proves a parent’s love as 61% say they would not let the recession or their own financial situation change their plans for the children’s college education, placing funding their child’s college education above retirement - the first time in three years.  This is another indication that a down economy forces many to make tough choices about what matters most during times when money is tight.

Why does this matter to campaigns?  This means that core kitchen table issues resonate as voters are making tough budget calls.  Candidates have to realize this and connect with families that are struggling.  Messaging successfully means delving deeper than just saying that we need better-paying jobs or a plan to bring the US/region out of the recession.  These generalities are meaningless to families making a decision between funding their retirement and a child’s education.

The flip side to this issue is that older Americans are now planning to be at work longer.  This makes issues regarding insurance, benefits, and payroll taxes more important among this population.

Tags: 2010 Election, Campaign Strategy, Economy, Polling Analysis

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 20th, 2009 at 7:33 am and is filed under Issues, polling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.