Junior Achievement Poll: Economic Jitters Cause Houston Families to Stay Home

Houston-area families eating out less frequently and taking less expensive
vacations.

HOUSTON, April 20 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Some of the widespread effects of
the economic crisis -- reduced discretionary spending and general
belt-tightening -- have impacted family decision-making. These are among the
key findings of the 2009 "Teens and Personal Finance" poll conducted by Junior
Achievement and The Allstate Foundation.

This is the tenth year that Junior Achievement has conducted the poll; Houston
results include:
-- More than one-third (37 percent) of Houston teens who took the poll
indicated a change to family spending due to the economy.
-- Approximately one-in-four Houston teens who took the poll (27 percent)
said that their family is eating out less frequently.

-- Roughly one-in-five Houston teens (22 percent) indicated that their
family is taking a less expensive vacation or staying home.

Also, the survey found that nearly four-in-ten (39 percent) of the Houston
teens who participated in the poll indicated that their parents are talking
about the economy more than they used to, and more than one-in-five Houston
teens (21 percent) said their parents had discussed family finances with them
as a result of the economy.

Given the current state of the global economy, it is critical that increased
financial literacy skills are put into practice by consumers, to spur recovery
and sustain economic development. Junior Achievement has created personal
finance teaching tools that parents can use to talk to their children about
the importance of learning and using sound money management skills. The twelve
lessons are downloadable free of charge at
http://www.ja.org/programs/programs_save_usa_materials_parents.shtml and teach
age-appropriate concepts around budgeting, saving, spending and investing.

The 2009 Teens and Personal Finance poll was conducted by Opinion Research
Corporation the week of February 23, 2009, and surveyed 1,000 U.S. teens ages
12-17 via telephone. Its margin of error is +/- 3.2 percent. The data for the
Houston area was generated by using an online poll on March 1 - 12, 2009.
While not as scientifically accurate as the national poll, the Houston results
provide anecdotal evidence of how 500 Houston area teens feel about the
economy and personal finance compared to a national scientific sample.

About Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas, Inc.
Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas is the greater Houston area's largest
organization dedicated to inspiring and preparing young people to succeed in a
global economy. For more information, visit http://houston.ja.org.

CONTACT: Kevin Hattery, 713.682.4500, ext 231, 713.628.1441,
khattery@jahouston.org

SOURCE Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas

Kevin Hattery of Junior Achievement of Southeast Texas; +1-713-682-4500, ext
231; +1-713-628-1441; khattery@jahouston.org