The Institute of Politics and GenForward, led by renowned political scientist Cathy Cohen, partnered to develop a national survey polling young adults on their political views ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
Young adults have low levels of faith in political institutions. Only 29% of young adults have a favorable view on the Supreme Court (with 52% holding an unfavorable view), and 61% believe that the Court has become more politicized in recent years. Additionally, 39% of respondents say they don’t trust their governments at the local, state, or federal levels.
67% of young white women say that the nation's economy is somewhat or very poor, compared to 54% overall; 78% say the country is off on the wrong track, compared to 67% overall; and 64% say they are very or extremely worried about paying an unexpected bill of $1000, compared to 50% overall.
Inflation, economic growth, housing affordability, and income inequality ranked as the top issues facing the country and people’s communities. 78% of young adults say that a strong government is needed to handle today’s complex economic problems rather than a free market.
49% disapprove of Biden’s handling of his job as president while 33% disapprove of how Harris has handled her job as vice president, with 29% neither approving nor disapproving.
If the election was today, 42% of young people said they would vote for Harris, 33% for Trump, 11% for RFK Jr. and 10% someone else. 67% of Black women said they would vote for Harris. However, only 35% of young men said they would vote for Harris compared to 41% for Trump.
45% of Black men and 29% of Latino men said they would vote for Harris, compared to 64% and 52% who said they voted for Biden in 2020. Trump’s support among these groups has not increased dramatically: 28% of young Black men and 39% of young Latino men say they voted for Trump in 2020. This suggests that these groups are turning to third-party candidates or opting out of voting.
12% of white men and 15% of Latino men picked immigration as the biggest problem facing the country. Overall, 66% of young people said that the federal government is doing a bad job of managing immigration.
69% of young people said they regularly check social media for news on politics. Notably, Black young adults are more likely to get news from local TV (43%) than other racial groups.
75% of young Democrats and 37% of young independents say the administration’s handling of the war in Gaza has either not affected their vote choice or made them more likely to vote for Harris. However, a share of young Democrats (18%) and young independents (28%) say it has made them less likely to vote for her.
71% of young adults see gun violence as a big problem in the US today, and 56% support a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons.
Jonathan Weisman, The New York Times
