College Student Voters Favor Harris to Trump, 52% vs. 39%
Credit: Anna Moneymaker / Staff / Getty Images NewsData Summary
The majority of students (58%) — including 86% of Democrat students — support Kamala Harris replacing Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee.- Students say the economy (51%), abortion (36%), and healthcare (28%) are the most important issues to them, followed by gun policy/control (24%) and immigration (24%).
- Nearly three-quarters of students (74%) say student debt relief is important or very important to them when it comes to the election.
- Almost half of students (47%) say the opportunity to elect the first female president impacts their vote.
- 94% of voting-eligible college students say they plan to vote in November’s election.
- Black students report higher levels of various types of voter activism compared to all students, including assisting with voter registration efforts (44% vs. 32%).
After a Democratic candidate shake-up, students’ picks for the next president are increasingly less divided.
Of the 1,000 currently enrolled undergraduate and graduate students polled in BestColleges’ latest survey, 52% of likely student voters say they plan to vote for Vice President Kamala Harris and 39% for former President Donald Trump.
Fifty-three percent (53%) of college students surveyed say Harris cares about the issues facing their generation, compared to 39% who say the same of Trump.
Women are more likely than men to plan to vote for Harris in the upcoming election (60% vs. 43%). Conversely, men are more likely than women to say they’ll vote for Trump (50% vs. 30%).
Black students (67%) are more likely than Hispanic and Latino/a (59%) and white students (44%) to say they plan to vote for Harris.
Trump still commands a strong Republican support base. Nearly 3 in 4 Republican students (73%) and 77% of Trump voters say their support for Trump has grown since the last presidential election.
| Demographic | Plan to vote for Harris | Plan to vote for Trump | Other / undetermined / prefer not to say |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 44% | 47% | 9% |
| Black | 67% | 28% | 5% |
| Hispanic and Latino/a | 59% | 33% | 8% |
| Men | 43% | 50% | 6% |
| Women | 60% | 30% | 10% |
| Millennial | 48% | 45% | 7% |
| Gen Z | 53% | 38% | 9% |
| Heterosexual/Straight | 44% | 47% | 9% |
| LGBTQIA+ | 73% | 20% | 6% |
This summer, Harris replaced President Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee.
In a Spring 2024 BestColleges survey, just 33% of college students said they planned to vote for Biden; 35% of students planned to vote for Trump. Nearly one-quarter of students (23%) were undecided.
In the recent fall survey, just 7% of voting-eligible students report not knowing who they’ll vote for come November.
A majority of college students (58%) support Harris replacing Biden as the Democratic party’s presidential pick. Almost 9 in 10 Democrat students (86%) support the switch compared to 31% of Republicans.
Eight in 10 Democrat students (81%) versus 34% of Republican students report feeling relieved that Harris replaced Biden in the race for president.
Roughly half of students (49%) — 72% of Democrats and 27% of Republicans — say they see Harris as a distinct politician from Biden.
Black (69%) and Hispanic and Latino/a students (54%) are more likely than white students (53%) to say they are relieved about Harris replacing Biden as the Democratic Party’s presidential candidate.
Additionally, vice president picks appear to impact students’ views somewhat.
Forty-two percent of all students surveyed say Tim Walz as the vice-presidential nominee makes Harris a more favorable presidential candidate. Around one-third of students (32%) say J.D. Vance makes Trump a more favorable candidate.
What About Vice Presidential Nominees?
42%
Of students say Walz helps Harris ticket
32%
Of students say Vance helps Trump ticket
Students More Likely to Say Harris Cares About Relevant Issues
More students say they believe Vice President Harris cares about the issues facing their generation than those who say the same about former President Trump (53% vs. 39%).
According to students, their top political issues include the economy, employment, and inflation (51%), abortion and reproductive rights (36%), and healthcare (28%).
Gun policy/control (24%), immigration (24%), and college affordability and student loan debt (22%) are also popular political issues among college students.
Women are more than twice as likely as men to cite abortion and reproductive rights as one of the most important issues to them right now (49% vs. 21%).
The economy remains the standout issue for students. Nearly 8 in 10 students rated inflation as bad or very bad (78%) in BestColleges’ spring survey.
Where Students Stand on Loan Forgiveness and the Election
About 3 in 4 students (74%) say student debt relief is important or very important to them when it comes to the 2024 U.S. presidential election.
In the spring, fewer students — just 2 in 3 (66%) — said student debt relief would impact their vote.
During the August debate between the two candidates, Trump accused Harris of failing to deliver on the promise of student loan forgiveness. In August 2022, the U.S. Court struck down the Biden administration’s plan to forgive up to $20,000 in federal student loans. Since then, Biden has adjusted his plan to provide debt relief for specific groups of borrowers.
Historic Firsts Matter to Students Supporting Harris
About half of students (47%) — including 69% of planned Harris voters — say the opportunity to elect the first female president impacts their vote.
Another 41% of students say the opportunity to elect the first Black and first Asian-American female president impacts their vote. This figure is higher among Black students (63%) and students who plan to vote for Harris (61%).
College Students Plan to Make Their Voices Heard
In our survey, 94% of voting-eligible students say they plan to vote this November.
More than 8 in 10 students (82%) say they believe voting matters. That’s a sizable increase from students’ reports in spring, when just 74% agreed that voting matters.
College Student Voting Plans and Beliefs
83%
Of students are registered to vote
10%
Plan to register before November
82%
Believe voting matters
For nearly half of students who plan to vote (49%), this will be their first time voting in a presidential election.
Survey respondents are working hard to understand what a Trump or Harris presidency means for college students. Nearly 7 in 10 students (68%) say they research each candidate’s platform and policy proposals.
Another 6 in 10 (60%) say they participate in political debates or discussions with friends, family, peers, or instructors.
Two in five (40%) report volunteering or advocating for a specific cause or issue.
Black Students Lead in Political Posting, Participation, and Financial Contributions
About half of all students (48%) say they express support for political candidates or positions on social media. But that figure is higher for Black students — 61% of Black students report posting in support of political candidates or positions.
And, Black students are getting out the vote. Nearly half of Black students (44%) say they assist with voter registration efforts compared to 31% of white and 26% of Hispanic and Latino/a students.
Black students are also more likely to report volunteering for a political campaign than their peers: 35% say they volunteer compared to 21% of Hispanic and Latino/a and 20% of white students.
Thirty-four percent of Black students, 26% of white students, and 24% of Hispanic and Latino/a students report participating in political rallies or conventions.
Additionally, while one-quarter of all students (25%) say they make financial contributions to a political campaign, over one-third of Black students (34%) report contributing financially to a political campaign. By comparison, 24% of white and 23% of Hispanic and Latino/a students report making financial campaign contributions.
Methodology
This survey was conducted from September 16-23, 2024, and was fielded by Pure Spectrum. Survey participants included 1,000 respondents nationwide who were currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate degree program. Respondents were 18-39 years of age, with the majority (77%) ages 18-24, and currently pursuing an associate, bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, or professional degree. The respondents for the survey were screened by various quality checks, including systems like Relevant ID, and responses were manually reviewed to ensure consistency and accuracy.
Survey respondents self-identified using the following political party affiliation options: Democratic Party (43%), Republican Party (31%), Libertarian Party (4%), Green Party (1%), or Other/I do not identify with a political party (18%).
A note on gender: BestColleges also surveyed nonbinary/gender-nonconforming students but did not surface enough participants in this group to reliably report on their responses.