Poll: U.S. youth care who wins election

WASHINGTON, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- A poll released Thursday by the non-profit Horatio Alger Association found 70 percent of American teens say they care about who wins the 2004 election.

More than six of every 10 teens surveyed by pollster Peter D. Hart said the outcome of the 2004 presidential election will at least make a fairly large difference in the country's direction.

Of the 1,007 13-to-19-year-olds Hart surveyed, 34 percent said social issues like abortion and gay marriage topped their list of national priorities followed, at 29 percent each, by education and the war in Iraq. An overwhelming majority, 70 percent, said they opposed reinstituting a draft for military service.

Named for the originator of the rags-to-riches genre of popular fiction, the association helps young people learn about the free enterprise system and awards more than $5 million annually in need-based college scholarships. The eighth annual State of Our Nation's Youth report is available on the Internet at horatioalger.org.