Young state residents have hope for future
Source: Elaine Kauh, Green Bay Press-Gazette

MADISON, WI — March 17, 2004 — Wisconsin residents ages 18 to 34 are more optimistic about the future than older residents, according to the latest Quality of Life Index survey results. But they’re not quite as high on living here as those 35 and older, as shown in the survey conducted by Wood Communications Group of Madison and sponsored by the Wisconsin Realtors Association.

One 24-year-old Green Bay resident said the area offers a variety of good things for people her age.
“The outdoor life is awesome,” said Jodi Annis, who grew up in western Wisconsin and is the health and fitness coordinator at the YMCA’s downtown location.

Residents 18 to 34 years old are the most optimistic age group, with 62 percent saying they believe their lives will be better in the next year. Of those 35 and older, 34 percent expect things will get better.

Optimism for the future declines for older residents, especially those over 55 who are more likely to work in manufacturing, said Jim Wood of Wood Communications. “This is where you’ve lost the jobs,” he said.

The statewide telephone survey of 682 adults is the latest installment of an ongoing project to measure residents’ attitudes about their jobs, quality of life and the economy. Three-fourths of survey respondents ages 18 to 34 work at companies of less than 500 employees, more than any other age group.

“These surveys really started defining the two economies,” said Bill Malkasian, president of the Wisconsin Realtors Association. To continue to attract and retain more young, college-educated people, the state needs to find ways to create new-economy jobs and enhance quality of life, he said.

The Quality of Life Index shows the 18- to 34-age group is somewhat less likely to see Wisconsin as a special place to live and work compared to other states. Forty-three percent of those respondents rate Wisconsin as a “special place,” while 50 percent of those over 35 do.

Annis doesn’t see as many jobs in her field. She lived in Denver before moving here and thinks Green Bay would be a good place to raise a family.