Who are young voters supporting for president? Poll finds shift between Trump, Harris

Vice President Kamala Harris has made significant inroads with young voters in recent months, new polling reveals.

In the latest CNBC/Generation Lab survey of Americans between 18 and 34 years old, 60% said they were voting for Harris, while 40% said they were voting for former President Donald Trump.

In contrast, a similar survey from July found 46% of respondents supported Harris, while 34% said they backed Trump. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — then an independent candidate for president — garnered 21% support.

Kennedy suspended his campaign in August and endorsed Trump. The latest poll, which sampled 1,021 respondents and had a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points, did not list his name as an option.

The results suggest Harris picked up support among Kennedy voters, Robert Shapiro, a professor of government at Columbia University, told McClatchy News.

“This is consistent with the impression that Harris’ entry increased enthusiasm among certain voters and especially young voters,” Shapiro said.

Polls have shown that Kennedy’s supporters skewed younger than those who support Harris and Trump.

“Independent candidates are always more attractive to young voters, but their attractiveness usually fades by election time,” Paul Beck, an emeritus professor of political science at the Ohio State University, told McClatchy News.

“I think that young voters were almost destined to swing towards Harris in the numbers (found in the poll),” Beck said. “They just needed to focus on the contest as election day came closer.”

Matthew McDermott, a Democratic strategist at Whitman Insight Strategies, also said the findings were indicative of growing enthusiasm for Harris among young voters.

“In conducting focus groups with younger Gen Z voters throughout the course of this year, we’ve seen a clear shift in their attitudes towards this election that you are now starting to see reflecting in polls that show Harris gaining significant support and now matching the margin that (President Joe) Biden won among young voters in the 2020 election,” McDermott told McClatchy News.

“Prior to Biden stepping aside, younger voters were largely disillusioned, feeling no one in the race embodied the future they wanted to see,” McDermott said. “But Harris has tapped into that sentiment, offering what many see as a chance to turn the page on the past.”

Other findings

Still, the poll indicates the majority of young voters are either indifferent or let down by Trump and Harris.

When asked how they feel about the presidential candidates, a plurality of respondents, 41%, said they are neutral. Roughly the same share, 38%, said they are disappointed, and 20% said they are excited.

Respondents were also given a list of 18 factors and asked which three were most important when considering their vote for president.

A majority, 53%, said job creation and the economy, making it the most important factor for voters this election — as previous polls have found.

“Economic concerns weigh heavily on young voters, who feel the system is fundamentally broken and not working for everyday Americans,” McDermott said.

Next came taxes (39%), trust in government (33%), immigration (27%) and the environment (26%).

Eight factors received just single-digit support, including diversity, equity, and inclusion issues (7%), artificial intelligence policy (5%), China (3%) and cryptocurrency (3%).

Further, respondents were given a list of 12 places and asked to choose up to three that they obtain most of their election information from.

A plurality, 45%, said internet news websites, while 39% said television news and 31% said speaking to friends.

Social media sites were also popular options, with 36% saying TikTok, 28% saying Instagram, 20% saying Twitter/X and 16% saying Facebook.

Three options received just single-digit support: radio news (7%), Truth Social (3%) and campaign emails (3%).

This story was originally published October 22, 2024 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Who are young voters supporting for president? Poll finds shift between Trump, Harris."