A new poll has revealed a surge in support for Vice President Harris, who will face former President Trump in 2024, among America's youngest voters.
A poll released Tuesday morning by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School showed Harris leading Trump by 31 points among likely presidential voters ages 18-29.
That's a dramatic change from a Harvard University poll this spring that showed President Biden leading President Trump among younger voters by just 13 points.
The Harvard spring numbers, and similar findings from other polls, have raised alarm among Democrats because young voters have long been a key part of the party's base.
See the latest Fox News poll for the 2024 election here
Vice President Harris waves during a campaign rally in Madison, Wisconsin, Friday, Sept. 20, 2024. (Alex Wroblewski/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
After Biden gave up on reelection in July following his disastrous debate defeat against Trump, Harris replaced her boss as the leading 2024 Democratic candidate and quickly caught a wave of enthusiasm and momentum.
“As the race enters its final stages, our polling reveals a significant shift in the overall mood and preferences of young Americans,” said John Della Volpe, longtime IOP polling director. “Vice President Harris has strengthened the Democratic Party's position among young voters, leading Trump on key issues and personal qualities.”
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The poll found that Harris had the support of 61% of voters ages 18 to 29, compared with 30% for Trump. Green Party candidate Jill Stein, Libertarian Party candidate Chase Oliver and independent Cornel West each had the support of 1% with 6% either undecided or declining to say.
The vice president's lead over Trump exceeds Biden's roughly 25-point victory over Trump among younger voters, according to a Fox News voter analysis of the 2020 presidential election.
Latest Fox News National PollA poll conducted this month showed Ms Harris leading Mr Trump by 17 points among voters under 30.
Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump arrives at a campaign rally at Wilmington International Airport on September 21, 2024 in Wilmington, North Carolina. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
The poll points to several factors that have contributed to Harris's huge lead over Trump.
Among them, there is a huge enthusiasm gap, with nearly three-quarters of young Democrats saying they would “definitely” vote compared to six in 10 Republicans, and Harris' approval rating as vice president has risen from 32% in the spring to 44% today. Harris' approval rating is now plus five points, while Trump's is 30 points below.
Another factor in Harris' favor is that she outperformed Trump on the key issues and personal qualities the survey asked both major party candidates about.
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The poll also noted growing support for Harris on social media, highlighting that more than half of young voters were asked “Have you seen a meme about Harris online in the past month?” and of those, “34% said it had a positive impact on their opinion. Conversely, 56% had seen a meme about Trump, of which 26% said it had a negative impact on their perception.”
The survey also found that the gender gap has widened to 30 points, up from 17 points in the spring.
“Both men and women are leaning towards Harris, but women outnumber men in support,” the poll said.
Vice President Harris and former President Trump participate in the 2024 presidential debate at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia on September 10, 2024. (Doug Mills/The New York Times/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The poll found that Harris holds a 53%-36% lead among male voters aged 18-29, but widens her lead among female voters, 70%-23%.
Pointing to the survey results, Della Volpe emphasized that “the growing enthusiasm of Gen Z and young millennials indicates that the youth vote could play a decisive role in 2024.”
of Survey by the Institute of Political Science This is Harvard University's 48th Youth Poll. Over the past quarter century, Harvard has been a leader in measuring the political opinions and voting habits of young Americans.
The latest poll was conducted Sept. 4-16 among 2,002 people nationwide aged 18 to 29. The survey's overall margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.65 percentage points.
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