With the importance of young voters aged 18 to 25 it is remarkable what a bad job President Obama has done in retaining their support. (And this is not to say that the President will not be reelected which likely has less to do with his performance than his competitors.)
Many young people were inspired to vote in the 2008 Presidential election and helped put President Obama in office (see articles like the one at http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1708836,00.html). But four years of politics as usual when it comes to youth voters promises to make a lackluster showing and an unexciting reelection for President Obama.
With all the talk of Obamacare and the implementation of extensions providing for parents to be able to carry their young adults on their own insurance until the age of 26 there has been a small decrease in the number of young adults who are uninsured estimated as a drop from 2009 levels of 28.2 percent to 24.5% (http://www.gallup.com/poll/152162/americans-uninsured-2011.aspx). Most of this positive change is attributed to parents paying for children's insurance coverage. More noteworthy for young adults, President Obama's healthcare plan provides for a penalty for individuals who cannot afford healthcare.
Youth unemployment last summer as of July was at 51.2% according to government statistics you can read at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/youth.nr0.htm.
It's not even necessary to find one specific site discussing the crushing student loan debts our young adults are carrying from education expenses if they went to college. Simply search around the Internet or ask a bunch of young people and you'll know.
Interest rates at all-time lows that discourage responsible savings in risk-free vehicles like CDs, money markets and savings accounts.
Checking account fees that penalize those without direct deposit or those who do not maintain large balances.
President Obama is seriously out of touch with the young adults who put him in office. His promises for change have omitted the very individuals whose lives have seen little positive change since he took office.
The lack of excitement among young people is justified.
