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College students say health insurance is more important than job satisfaction

insurance benefits

by Jeff Goldman | July 25, 2011



Fifty-seven percent of current college students say it would be worthwhile to take a job they don't like in order to gain access to benefits like health insurance and retirement accounts, according to a recent survey of college students, graduates and parents conducted by Kelton Research and sponsored by eHealthInsurance.

Among recent college graduates who are already in the workforce, 49 percent also feel it's better for a new graduate to take a job they don't like than to take a more enjoyable position without health insurance. Forty-six percent of parents agree with the same statement.

Both recent graduates and current college students feel that health insurance is more important than other employer-provided benefits. Thirty-eight percent of current college students and 39 percent of recent graduates say health insurance is "non-negotiable" when considering a job offer.

Still, they're likely to be disappointed--while 80 percent of current college students think their first job after graduation will provide them with health insurance, and 73 percent of recent college grads expected the same after graduation, only 31 percent of recent graduates now in the workforce say they actually have employer-based health coverage.

Other perks are deemed less important. Only 13 percent of current college students and 12 percent of recent grads say vacation time is non-negotiable, and only 10 percent of current college students and 10 percent of recent grads say a retirement account is non-negotiable.

Seventy-four percent of recent college graduates say it would be better to live with their parents and be able to afford health insurance than to live on their own and go without coverage.

The survey of 255 full-time college students ages 18-30, 251 recent college graduates ages 18-30, and 500 parents of full-time college students or recent graduates, was conducted by Kelton Research between April 21 and April 29, 2011, using an e-mail invitation and an online survey.

For related news and other information from Schools.com, see:

About the Author

Jeff Goldman is a freelance journalist based in Los Angeles.

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