Not Asked What They Can Do for Their Country

But not Giorgia Shields, 20, of Auburn, Ala., who said she probably would not answer a call to serve by the next president.

"I kind of wouldn't want to do something I didn't want to do because someone else thought I should," said Shields, a student majoring in English who participated in the survey.

Participants were asked a series of questions, including what would make them most interested in exploring a job in government. Roughly half chose "opportunities for growth and advancement" as their top reason. But 45 percent chose "having a flexible schedule and the ability to telecommute" as a reason for seeking federal employment.

Respondents 18 to 29 said student loan forgiveness (27 percent) and continuing education benefits (26 percent) would draw them to federal service.

The survey will be discussed at a breakfast tomorrow by McGinnis and a panel that includes Linda Washington, an assistant secretary at the Transportation Department; Elizabeth B. Kolmstetter, deputy chief human capital officer for the director of national intelligence; Adam Lusin, a management analyst at the State Department, and F. Warren Wright, a managing partner at Gallup. The Washington Post is a co-sponsor of the breakfast.

The findings were drawn from an online survey conducted April 14 to 21 by the Gallup Panel, a nationally representative group of households that have agreed to participate in Gallup research. Gallup sought responses from 2,000 panel members, who are not paid or offered incentives to express their opinions, and 895 responded.

While the Gallup Panel represents a random sample of the population, this survey was conducted among households with Internet access, which may not be fully representative of the nation's population. Gallup estimated the survey's margin of error is plus or minus 3.3 percent.

Stephen Barr's e-mail address isbarrs@washpost.com.