Fixing Unemployment is the Highest Priority for Americans

ST. LOUIS, Jan. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans continue to see unemployment as the top economic concern as we head into the New Year. According to a survey released today by financial services firm, Edward Jones, if given the opportunity to choose between five areas of concern to be remedied in 2012, 39 percent of Americans would fix unemployment, followed by national debt (28 percent). More women than men believe that high unemployment needs to be resolved, as 44 percent said they would fix unemployment in 2012 compared to 34 percent of men who felt the same.

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Conducted by Opinion Research Corporation, the survey of 1,006 respondents revealed that gender also has a significant influence on prioritizing concerns as men were closely split between unemployment and national debt being the top priority (34 percent and 33 percent respectively); while women showed larger disparity between the two (44 percent versus 22 percent respectively). Americans age 65 and older felt the most strongly about the issue of national debt with 33 percent indicating this is the area they would fix.

Retirement remains a concern for Americans, as 23 percent indicated they would favor mending retirement or social security in the New Year. Age influenced this preference as slightly more respondents ages 65 and older (27 percent) indicated this as the area they would remedy.

Americans were less concerned with economic issues abroad and uncertainty in the stock market as a significantly smaller percentage of Americans (5 percent) said that they would fix the European economic crisis and only 3 percent resolve market volatility in 2012.

"Americans view jobs, the debt and their retirement income as the most important areas needing improvement said Kate Warne, investment strategist at Edward Jones.  Although most of us can't do much to change the job market or the government's debt, we can take actions designed to improve our retirement prospects. We think those steps are especially important today with the ongoing challenges facing Social Security as well as the other areas."  

Other key findings from the survey included:

• More than one-third (36 percent) of Americans with a household income of less than $35,000 would fix Social Security in 2012
• Forty-five percent of Americans with an annual household income of $50,000-$75,000 would choose to resolve unemployment in the New Year
• In the West and Mid-west, 43 percent of Americans in would remedy unemployment in 2012
• Only 9 percent of college graduates would choose to fix retirement or Social Security while 39 percent of those who did not complete high school chose this concern

About Edward Jones

Edward Jones provides financial services for individual investors in the United States and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Every aspect of the firm's business, from the types of investment options offered to the location of branch offices, is designed to cater to individual investors in the communities in which they live and work. The firm's 12,000-plus financial advisors work directly with nearly 7 million clients to understand their personal goals - from college savings to retirement - and create long-term investment solutions that emphasize a well-balanced portfolio and a buy-and-hold strategy. Edward Jones embraces the importance of building long-term, face-to-face relationships with clients, helping them to understand and make sense of the investment solutions available today.

Edward Jones, which ranked No. 11 on FORTUNE magazine's "100 Best Companies to Work For 2011," is headquartered in St. Louis. The Edward Jones Web site is located at www.edwardjones.com, and its recruiting Web site is www.careers.edwardjones.com. Member SIPC.

* Survey was based on 1,006 telephone interviews of U.S. adults conducted between the dates of December 8-11. The margin of error was +/-3%. 

SOURCE Edward Jones

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