2022 Colorado’s Young Adult Pulse 2022: VALUES
Free Education
Young adults in Colorado overwhelmingly believe that education is a right, not a privilege. Our annual Policy Survey found that nearly 75% of Colorado young adults “strongly supported” free community college. Tuition in Colorado remains expensive, as are the ancillary costs of attending college, such as housing, transportation, childcare, etc. Rising costs have negatively impacted young adults’ perception on the return of their post secondary investment. In the aftermath of the pandemic, the rate at which young adults are going to college right out of high school declined. This rate is even lower amongst rural Colorado young adults – 51% of students from rural areas enrolled the fall immediately after high school graduation in 2019.
Free Housing
Colorado is an increasingly expensive place to live, with housing expenses in our cities contributing to costs of living as high as 115% above the national average. Young adults are among the hardest hit by rising costs of living. In our roundtable sessions with young adults and on our policy surveys, unaffordable and poor quality housing was the top cited barrier to higher education, employment, and general quality of life. Colorado young adults specifically support holding landlords accountable for unexpected and unreasonable rent hikes and improved living standards for units. College students indicated support for affordable housing options for students and young adults in apprenticeships.
Accessible Health Care
Young adults across the nation elevated the need for accessible and affordable mental and behavioral health care, and Colorado is no exception. With COVID-19 restricting the accessibility of healthcare overall, scheduling became a significant concern for young adult mental health services. Young adults are experiencing less stigma around seeking mental health care than previous generations, yet lack sufficient access to quality, competent care. Without integration between physical and behavioral health, young adults will continue to face challenges in finding a provider that meets their unique needs. Unfortunately, Colorado ranked 43rd overall regarding overall mental health care and prevalence of mental health issues – and last in access to mental health care for adults.
Bodily Autonomy and Reproductive Freedom
The reversal of Roe v. Wade deeply disrupted access to bodily autonomy for young adults across our nation. In our engagement with young adults, we found that 65% of survey respondents believe the overturned decision is a serious cause for concern. Young adults are ready to fight for their access to reproductive services and bodily autonomy.
Equitable Tax Code
Due to the 1992 Taxpayer Bill of Right (TABOR), Colorado’s ability to generate revenue through taxes is extremely limited, negatively impacting our ability to sufficiently fund public services like education and healthcare. Our regressive income tax system inherently benefits the wealthy and penalizes the poor. Young adults are overwhelmingly in favor of flipping this narrative, and introducing a wealth tax in Colorado and reforming TABOR. This funding mechanism is critical to the possibility of addressing other young adult priorities, such as childcare, education, and high quality healthcare.
Our mission and pride is to challenge and change the systems of inequity, working with and for young people in Colorado. Every young adult has important insight and stories to tell, and every year we strive to make them heard through our survey work, engagement opportunities at the Capitol, and roundtabling. Thank you for your continued support.