In the lead-up to the 2024 election, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump courted college-age voters in hopes of winning the White House.
Following Donald Trump’s re-election, Intelligent.com surveyed 600 U.S. college students to learn more about who they voted for, their views on both candidates, and the issues that were important to them.
The survey found that 78% of college students voted, with 58% voting for Harris, 40% voting for Trump, and 2% voting for a third-party candidate. It also shows that, despite having support from the majority of student voters, Harris’ support wasn’t universal among all demographics.
Key findings:
- Trump voters were 2x more likely to get their news from podcasts than Harris voters
- 36% of male college student voters felt Kamala Harris wasn’t qualified to be president
- 1 in 5 student voters feel women aren’t capable of being president
- Top issues college students voted on were the economy, abortion access, and gun control
Twice as Many Student Trump Voters Get Their News From Podcasts
College students rely on various media platforms for political news and information, including social media and mainstream news outlets.
Among college students who voted for Trump, 34% reported getting their news from podcasts, compared to 17% of Harris voters. This figure rises to 39% among white male Trump voters. Additionally, 46% of Trump voters use X (formerly Twitter) for news, slightly higher than the 43% of Harris voters who do the same.
Trump voters are somewhat less likely than Harris voters to rely on TikTok for news, with 55% of Trump voters using the platform compared to 63% of Harris voters.
36% of Men Say Kamala Harris Wasn’t Qualified To Be President
When asked to evaluate the qualifications of each candidate for the presidency, 28% of college student voters said Harris is highly or somewhat unqualified, while only 47% said the same of Trump.
However, gender differences were notable. Male college students were more likely to say Harris was unqualified than female college students (36% compared to 23%), and less likely to say Trump was unqualified (38% compared to 57%).
Opinions also diverged by race. Thirty-six percent of white college students said Harris is unqualified, compared to just 11% of Black students.
1 in 5 student voters believe women aren’t capable of presidential duties
When asked if they agreed with the statement, “A woman is not capable of performing the duties of the president of the U.S.,” 9% of student voters strongly agreed, and another 9% somewhat agreed.
Conservative students were the most likely to agree, with 31% selecting strongly agree or somewhat agree. In comparison, 17% of moderate students and 11% of liberal students agreed with the statement.
Male students were more likely than female students to hold this belief, with 23% agreeing compared to 13% of women. Additionally, 23% of Black students and 16% of white students agreed with the statement.
Economy, Gun Control, and Climate Were Top Issues for Student Voters
Despite the protests that have roiled college campuses since the Israel-Hamas war started in October 2023, only 34% of college student voters say the ongoing conflict is an issue that’s important to them.
The issues most important to college student voters vary widely depending on their preferred candidate. The top issues for Harris voters include abortion access and reproductive rights (73%), the economy (70%), gun control (70%), climate change (63%), crime (53%), and student loan forgiveness (51%). Meanwhile, the top issues for Trump voters include the economy (76%), job growth (58%), immigration (57%), crime (57%), gun control (39%), and drug addiction (38%).
College Student Voters Trust Trump More to Handle Immigration, Overseas Conflicts
When asked which candidate would handle key issues better, responses varied significantly.
The economy was nearly evenly split, with 46% of college students believing Harris would handle rising prices better and 45% siding with Trump. For job growth, 47% thought Harris would perform better, while 44% favored Trump.
Trump received more support than Harris on three major issues. Forty-seven percent of student voters believed Trump would handle immigration better, compared to 42% for Harris. On the Russia-Ukraine war, 45% trusted Trump’s approach, while 33% preferred Harris. Similarly, 38% felt Trump would manage the Israel-Hamas conflict better, versus 36% for Harris.
However, college students broadly supported Harris on other key issues, including housing, reproductive rights, climate change, student loan forgiveness, and gun control.
Methodology
This online poll was commissioned by Intelligent.com and conducted on Pollfish from November 15, 2024, to November 17, 2024.
In total, 600 current full-time four-year college students ages 18 to 24 completed the survey. Demographic criteria and screening questions were used to ensure qualified respondents. Please email [email protected] with any questions.