Thanks Obama: Youth ‘Misery Index’ highest ever

Published January 17, 2017 3:39pm ET



An index of “misery” for young Americans has reached a record high, the latest sign of disappointment for one of President Obama’s coalition members.


The “Youth Misery Index” spiked to 113.4 in early 2017, up from 109.9 last January, and 83.5 in 2009 when Obama took office, according to the conservative Young America’s Foundation. It is calculated by adding youth unemployment, student loan debt, and national debt per capita numbers.


Under Obama, it has increased 36 percent.

“President Obama has done his young supporters a remarkable disservice by running up the national debt at an incredible rate while failing to adequately address the student loan crisis,” said Ron Robinson, president of Young America’s Foundation, in a statement. “Young people are increasingly conscious of the Left’s inability to offer practical solutions to the problems they face every single day.”

See the full statement here.

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]