Benefits May 14, 2003

Challenger: Voters Voice Election Hot Buttons

May 14, 2003 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - As the balances of company-sponsored retirement savings plans continue to decline, it should come as little wonder that pension security has replaced work family balance as the key workplace issue on the mind's of voting Americans.
Reported by

The preservation of money was also the largest overall concern on voter minds, with 27% saying the reduction or elimination of the capital gains tax is the issue that would influence their vote the most if the election were held tomorrow, according to a Challenger, Gray & Christmas study.

Coming in a surprising second in the survey was 20% of the 1,264 respondents saying a position favoring a mandatory one-year military service term for all high school graduates would influence their vote the most. This was following by:

  • 19% would cast their vote for the candidate supporting a cap on monetary awards in civil trials
  • 19% supporting a pension fund issued by the government
  • 13% said they would vote for a ticket including a woman or minority.

“The prominence of the mandatory military service issue is almost certainly a reaction to the current state of world affairs. It also may be attributable to a sense of increased vulnerability that many are already feeling in their professional and personal lives,” said John Challenger, chief executive officer of Challenger, Gray & Christmas.

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