The Tories are not as far behind on youth unemployment as you might expect 
Which party do people think would best handle the problem of youth unemployment? This is an issue on which Labour would traditionally be expected to lead, but a new poll for Red Box shows that while they do indeed have an advantage, it is only by 30% to 25%. That's a significant achievement for the Tories, who are at last getting credit not just for the improvement in the economy but also for creating jobs. If they could come that close to Labour on the NHS, they could start to dream of parliamentary majorities again.
The Labour lead on youth unemployment is higher among the younger age groups, however: +8 for 18-24s, +8 for 25-39s and +11 for 40-59s. For over-60s, on the other hand, it is -5.
We also tested public preferences for the youth unemployment policies offered by the two main parties: 41% opted for the Conservative policy, making 18-21 year olds who have been out of work for six months and are not in education or training to do community service each week or risk losing benefits, almost equal to the 42% who preferred Labour's idea of making 18-21 year olds who have been out of work for 12 months do a government-funded job for six months.
