Harris’ VP pick has helped excite Gen-Z, while Trump’s VP selection is hurting more than helping, the poll also shows.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Now that Vice President Kamala Harris has taken President Joe Biden’s place in the presidential race, younger people in critical swing states are more likely to support the Democratic frontrunner, according to an exclusive U.S. News-Generation Lab poll.
The poll, conducted on the heels of the Democratic National Convention, is the second from U.S. News and Generation Lab that examines attitudes and opinions of the nation’s youngest voting bloc in key battleground states. The poll was last run in the wake of the first presidential debate in June.
Among the key findings of the survey of adults ages 18-34 in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Ohio:
- Young adults affirm Biden’s decision to step aside. Eighty-two percent say they strongly agree or agree that Biden made the right choice.
- Support for Harris is larger than it was for Biden. If the election were held today, 65% say they would support Harris compared to 35% who say they would support Trump – a gap 12 points greater than the respective gap between Biden and Trump when Biden was still the presumed nominee.
- Harris’ VP pick of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has helped her energize young adults, while Trump’s selection of Sen. JD Vance of Ohio appears to be hurting more than helping. Thirty-nine percent say they are much more likely or somewhat more likely to vote for Harris since her selection of Walz, compared to 13% who say they are much less or somewhat less likely to support her. Meanwhile, only 15% say they are more likely or somewhat more likely to vote for Trump since his selection of Vance, compared to 30% who say his pick means they are much less or somewhat less likely to vote for him.
- Among those who say they are much less or somewhat less likely to vote for Trump because of Vance, 18% say it’s because they feel like he doesn’t understand or represent them.
- Young adults are more likely to vote now that Harris is the Democratic candidate. Forty-three percent of young people “strongly agree” or “agree” that they are more likely to vote in the election now that Harris is the Democratic candidate.
- Meanwhile, 48% of registered Democrats say they are more likely to vote because she has a better shot at beating Trump than Biden did.
- Most young adults are committed to their chosen candidate – a commitment that has increased in recent months. Seventy percent say they’re either “very committed” to their candidate and “nothing could change my mind,” or “pretty committed,” and “it would take something major to change my mind” – a 19 percentage-point swing from how they answered the question in June and July.
“Our poll shows that younger Americans are with Vice President Harris and Governor Walz in several of the swing states that will tip the balance of power – and many intend to voice their support at the voting booth in November,” said Dafna Linzer, U.S. News’ editorial director and executive vice president. “While the national polls show a tight race that either candidate could win, support is clearly growing for the Democratic ticket among this key voting bloc.”
The survey was conducted online by Generation Lab on August 25-September 3, 2024, among a nationally representative sample of 2,003 U.S. adults, ages 18-34 living in the battleground states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, yielding an overall margin error of +/- 2.2 percentage points.
For additional survey findings, U.S. News has published related content including an overview as well as an analysis on the top issues impacting young americans.
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SOURCE U.S. News & World Report, L.P.
