SAVE

Written By: Katie Dean

Crosspost with 80 Million Strong

The unemployment rate for young Americans aged 16-24 rose to 17.3% in May and now stands a staggering 7.9 points higher than the national average.  Young people in America are facing the highest unemployment rates of any demographic, while at the same time accruing, on average, $27,000 worth of student loans by college graduation.  And these numbers do not reflect the negative effects of growing credit card debt and a lack of health insurance that continue to plague young Americans.

The statistics are clear: young people have been affected disproportionately by the nation’s economic recession, and yet the American public is largely unaware of the plight of the youngest members of its workforce.

Media coverage of the national unemployment crisis is abundant, but it overlooks the economic woes of the Millennial Generation.  Less than a year ago the nation’s news outlets were clamoring for stories about this now seemingly forgotten age bracket; feel-good pieces about the increased level of youth participation in the presidential election were published daily, and it appeared as though the media, and consequentially, the public, finally respected the contributions of our generation to the political realm. 

However, once the Obama-mania of election season died down and America came out of its bliss-induced haze, the media refocused its attention on the problems ahead, namely the faltering economy.  Essentially absent from this coverage has been the Millennial Generation; in a few short months our age demographic went from being the subject of front page feature stories to the occasional, and almost certainly brief, acknowledgment in an article on some larger economic issue.

While there are some exceptions, the media attention being paid to young Americans is inarguably disproportionate to the burden the recession has put on this cohort.  It seems as though the media had use for young Americans when we provided inspirational material for human interest pieces, but now that we need publicity to ensure our financial future, too many news outlets have abandoned our cause.

Let me be clear, young Americans are certainly not the only group suffering in today’s abysmal job market.  I understand that unemployment is devastating for an adult who must support his or her entire family; however, young people have financial responsibilities to their families as well, and the face of today’s caretaker is not exclusively a middle-aged man.  We do not want to replace the current image of the unemployed and struggling, we simply wish to augment it to accurately reflect the current situation.

Increased media coverage of the economic hardships of young Americans is essential to the wellbeing of our economic futures.  In the absence of a strong media narrative, the challenges of uniting young people to play an active role in shaping our economic destinies may be too great.  While the inspirational spirit of our generation may be a good storyline, it is no more important than the reality that is our precarious economic outlook.  In fact, just as the media narrative of the fall election may have contributed in spreading inspiration, press coverage of the youth economic crisis may help spark action to improve it.