BOSTON — A research poll out of Harvard held several stark warnings for politicians: The youngest voting bloc in the country isn’t the least bit impressed with either party’s messaging and they intend to vote about it.
“I’m not sure there is great news in here for either party. For Democrats or Republicans I don’t think there is a lot to be happy about quite honestly,” John Della Volpe, director of polling at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics said during a virtual release of the polling data Monday.
Conducted biannually by students enrolled at the Cambridge college, this spring’s Harvard Youth Poll engaged 2,024 adults under 30 across all 50 states, Volpe said. The poll examined two major ideas — will young people vote and how do they feel about President Joe Biden — and asked about four specific areas of life important to young voters.
According to Volpe, the results should really give those walking the halls of power pause.
“There is clearly growing disenchantment with the people and the politics of Washington, D.C.,” Volpe said.
“This edition shows significant concern, relative to our previous polls, about the motivation of elected officials, a growing disdain for our political discourse, and young people are seriously questioning whether politics can even meet the challenges our nation is facing,” he said.
According to the poll, Biden’s approval rating among under 30s has dropped 18 points, to 41%, in the last year.
Volpe said despite their feelings about politics and politicians, young voters are nevertheless still very engaged.
“According to this data, young Americans, I don’t think are ready to pack it in,” he said.
The poll also engaged students in questions about domestic politics, identity, education, and mental health.
It revealed turnout among youth voters in 2022 is expected to track with that seen in the so-called Blue Wave of 2018.
“Democrats cannot think of young voters as a given this November. As (Volpe) noted, the electorate of 2022 may look different than in 2018. A turnout that could ultimately be impacted by lower levels of political efficacy,” Kate Gunderson, a junior working on the poll said.
The poll also revealed that 21% of young people identify as LGBTQ. Of those that do, more than half said they often feel under threat in a society that is both unwelcoming and hostile.
According to the survey, by a two-to-one margin, young voters are in favor students learning “about the history of racism in America” and that the same margin supported greater parental control of what is taught to students.
The poll found 85% of students favor some action on student debt but only 38% support blanket forgiveness.
Disturbingly, the poll found that 1 in 4 people under the age of 30 has reported thoughts of self-harm or suicide.
Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish depending on participant choice and the poll has an overall margin of error of just under 3 percentage points, Volpe said.
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