A slight majority—52 percent—of young adults between the ages of 23 and 28 who participated in a recent survey said they consider "making better choices about managing money" the single most important issue for individual Americans to act on today.

That issue far outweighed the need to strengthen family relationships (18 percent), protect the environment (11 percent), or improve personal nutrition and health (9 percent), results of the latest annual Charles Schwab Corp. survey on families and money showed.

Moreover, almost two-thirds of young adults (64 percent) surveyed said financial fitness is more important than physical fitness, and the majority (51 percent) believe that financial education in school, grades K-12, is more important than both physical education (31 percent) and sex education (18 percent) combined.

"This age group is clearly riveted by our weakened economy," says Carrie Schwab-Pomerantz, president of the Charles Schwab Foundation. "When we see people in their 20s prioritizing responsible money management over personal nutrition and health, it seems clear that the need for individual accountability has penetrated deeply into the culture. Without diminishing the importance of good health, these results are very encouraging and could signal a new era of financial responsibility among American consumers."

It's not just individuals who are called on to take steps on their own. More than one in three young adults (36 percent) agree that the single most important action the Obama administration could take to improve financial literacy in the U.S. would be to create incentives or to provide additional funding for states that mandate personal finance in the standard high school curriculum.

Another 36 percent believe the administration should create economic incentives encouraging employers to provide holistic financial education for their employees and fund a public awareness campaign for financial literacy to encourage parents to do a better job of teaching their kids money basics.

Survey participants displayed some unexpectedly traditional views about personal finance.

When asked to rank the relative importance of conflicting priorities, such as eliminating all debt versus buying a new car, or saving as much money as possible versus having as much fun as possible, they generally made the more responsible choice.

Yet, despite this and their perception that financial fitness is more important than physical fitness, fewer than one in five (18 percent) said they considered their own financial physique to be "toned and fit."

More than three in four young adults described their financial health as either "a little flabby" (55 percent) or "seriously out of shape" (27 percent).

Their behaviors might bear this out. On average, those surveyed said they carry more than $14,000 in debt (excluding home mortgages). Of those who use credit cards, only one-third (33 percent) said they pay off their entire balance every month, while the other two-thirds said they make payments less reliably. Nearly 10 percent said they make payments only when they can.

With respect to this age group's self-assessed financial health, the survey uncovered gender differences as well. Women were more likely than men to describe themselves as "financially flabby" (34 percent versus 20 percent) and also were more likely to believe financial responsibility should be a national priority (55 percent versus 49 percent).

The largest percentage of survey respondents said they were most surprised to learn how much money it takes to live independently as they "began to live life on their own" (26 percent). Not surprisingly, only about half (51 percent) said they are financially independent from their parents. One in four (26 percent) said they still live with their parents; of those, 28 percent are unemployed, while another 26 percent made the choice to live with their parents in order to save money.

Survey respondents said they rely on their parents in other ways as well. The majority (56 percent) attributed their knowledge of money management basics to their parents, with significant numbers continuing to turn to their parents for ongoing financial advice (43 percent). Many, however, admitted they don't feel adequately prepared to make good financial choices when it comes to using debt wisely (28 percent), saving for the future (40 percent), or investing their money (43 percent). When asked which aspects of personal finance they wish they had learned more about before entering the work force, living within a budget (45 percent) and the importance of saving (42 percent) were at the top of the list.

For many young adults, entering the work force provides the first real opportunity to apply the financial lessons they've learned, as well as to fill in their gaps in knowledge, and employers have the opportunity to help. Two-thirds of survey respondents (66 percent) said they would like to see their employers offer ongoing education and guidance on a range of financial topics beyond those related to employee benefits such as the company-sponsored retirement plan and health-insurance choices, but only 25 percent of employers actually do so.

In financial education and guidance, a sizable gap emerged between what younger workers said they want and what their employers offer, even though almost one in three young workers (31 percent) said they aren't very familiar or at all familiar with their employers' offerings of financial benefit plans.

Half of those surveyed said they want 401(k) or company-sponsored retirement plan guidance, but just 30 percent of employers offer it. Interestingly, of those individuals who have access to an employer-sponsored retirement plan, 87 percent said they believe it's an important benefit, but 35 percent aren't contributing to it. Of those who do contribute, 35 percent said they aren't confident in their ability to make suitable investment choices.

Slightly less than one-third of those surveyed said they'd like debt management education, but just 8 percent of employers offer it.

Similarly, 26 percent said they'd like budgeting advice, but just 10 percent of employers offer it.

Also, 22 percent said they'd like guidance on purchasing a home, and 19 percent said they'd appreciate counsel on saving for a child's education, but just 5 percent and 4 percent of employers, respectively, offer those types of assistance.

"Corporate employers are in a unique position to promote social change, but the potential benefits go beyond fulfilling any sense of social responsibility," says Schwab-Pomerantz. "Basic financial education helps people understand how to avoid financial potholes, which can cause tremendous personal anxiety and stress that interfere with productivity at work. From the family to schools to the workplace, each of our cultural institutions can play a greater role in helping today's youth learn how to make sound financial decisions that will help them throughout their lives."

Charles Schwab Corp. is a leading provider of financial services, with more than 300 offices and 7.4 million client brokerage accounts, 1.5 million corporate retirement plan participants, 475,000 banking accounts, and $1.0 trillion in client assets.