As the United States leads the world in coronavirus cases and deaths, college students overwhelmingly disapprove of the federal government’s pandemic response.
A new survey of 1,500 undergraduates finds that two-thirds (67%) say the U.S. can learn a great deal from other countries around the world about ways to slow the spread of coronavirus. There are significant divides across lines of gender and political leaning, however. Female students are more likely than male students to say the U.S. can learn a great deal from other countries’ pandemic responses (74% vs. 58%). And Democrats are more than three times as likely as Republicans to say so (87% vs. 26%).
One-Quarter of Republicans Say the U.S. Could Learn A Great Deal From Other Countries’ Pandemic Responses
How much, if anything, do you think the U.S. can learn from other countries around the world about ways to slow the spread of coronavirus?
Almost 8 in 10 (79%) students overall disapprove of the way President Trump is handling the coronavirus pandemic, compared to 11% who approve and 9% who are not sure. Students’ disapproval of Trump has shifted only slightly since early May, when about three-quarters (74%) of students disapproved of the president’s pandemic response. An overwhelming majority (95%) of Democratic students disapprove today, compared to about one-quarter (27%) of Republicans.
Similarly, 80% of students disapprove of the way Congress is handling the coronavirus pandemic, while 6% approve and 14% are not sure. Democratic students are more likely than Republican students to disapprove (88% vs. 62%), but a majority from each party report disapproval.
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Methodology: This survey was designed and conducted by College Pulse. Interviews were conducted among a sample of 1,500 full-time and part-time students attending four-year colleges or universities in the U.S. who are part of College Pulse’s American College Student Panel.
