Through Harvard’s 48th Youth Poll in the Spring of 2024, The Institute of Politics (IOP) at the Harvard Kennedy School revealed that among 18-to-29-year-olds nationwide, Vice President Kamala Harris holds a 31-point lead over former President Donald Trump among potential voters in the multi-candidate matchup. The poll shows Harris leading over Trump with 64% to 30% among the likely voters in a two-way speculatory scenario, with her advantage increasing as younger people become more immersed in the election process.
The poll revealed several things about this year’s election:
- There is a rather large enthusiasm gap between young Democrats and Republicans with 74% of young Democrats saying they will “definitely” vote compared to 60% of young Republicans.
- A widening gender gap, nearly doubling from 17 points in the Spring poll to 30 points now, with Harris leading 70% to 23% among likely female voters.
- Harris outperformed Trump on key personal qualities and issues, with substantial leads in empathy (+33), relatability (+24), honesty (+22), climate change (+32), abortion (+31), health care (+26), and gun violence prevention (+25) among all young adults.
- Harris’s job approval as Vice President has significantly improved, increasing from 32% in the Spring poll to 44%.
- Strong support for progressive policies among young Americans, with 74% favoring capping prescription drug prices and 59% supporting a nationwide law to legalize abortion.
- The overwhelming rejection of Project 2025 among young Americans, with only 6% viewing it favorably compared to 48% unfavorably. Even among Republicans, we find 14% viewing it favorably and 23% unfavorably.
- The impact of social media, with 53% of young adults encountering memes about Harris online in the last month, 34% of whom say it positively influenced their opinion. Conversely, 56% have seen memes about Trump, with 26% reporting a negative impact on their perception.
With the 2024 presidential election on the horizon, and seniors at John Champe start turning, 18 they will have the opportunity to vote in this year’s election. According to Our World In Data– a scientific online publication– voter turnout by age has been the lowest among 18-29-year-olds. Since 2000, the rate has barely reached 50%, the weakest in the 2012 elections. As of 2016, 43.4% of ages 18-29 have voted. Now that another new generation of voters arises, this can influence the election if recent 18-year-olds choose to vote. With the 2024 election having large amounts of publicity, it encourages some while significantly discouraging others from voting.
An election poll was posted on the Champe 2025 Schoology asking several questions to the class of 2025.
- Do you plan to vote during this election?
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- Option 1: Yes
- Option 2: No
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- If not, why aren’t you voting this year?
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- Option 1: I don’t like either of the candidates.
- Option 2: I don’t know enough about either of the candidates.
- Option 3: I just don’t feel like it.
- Option 4: Other.
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- If not sure about voting this year, how likely are you to vote on a scale of 1-5?
- Which candidate do you prefer?
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- Option 1: Donald Trump
- Option 2: Kamala Harris
- Option 3: Other
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- Why do you prefer this (chosen) candidate?
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- Option 1: Open-ended question.
Of the 47 total responses to the questionnaire, 41 people– consisting of 87.25% of respondents– are unable to vote by this year’s election day, while 6 can vote– which amounts to 12.8% of respondents. Of the eligible voters, all 6 reported that they do plan to vote during this year’s election. In terms of candidate preference, there is a 50% split between candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. Anonymous responses explaining their preference for the candidate they choose include, “I don’t believe in the things Trump says,” “Trump’s border rules are nice,” as well as some uncertainty “I am not sure yet who I will vote for,” one student replied.
