New Survey: Recession Hitting Young Adults Hardest; With Jobs Disappearing, Wages Shrinking and Benefits Vanishing, Many Are Using Credit Cards to Get By

Conducted by Greenberg Quinlan Rosner and commissioned by Qvisory, an online advocacy group that is helping young adults with their money, work and health concerns, the poll finds that young adults are feeling the effects of the economic downturn more acutely than other groups. Three in five (62 percent) say their personal economic condition is fair or poor. Most have the same or more debt than they had a year ago. Nearly one-third have paid a late fee on a credit card in the last year, 17 percent have fallen behind on mortgage payments and 18 percent have fallen behind on student loans. Two in five have skipped a meal to save money.