College students worry about the legitimacy of the 2020 election, and many are in favor of mail-in voting. In a recent survey we released in partnership with the Knight Foundation, nearly half (49%) of students say the election won’t be fair and open, and a majority (55%) say it will not be administered well. Despite the skepticism, our survey of 4,000 full-time undergraduates currently enrolled in four-year degree programs also found that a majority of students ― led by female students and Democrats ― say they are “absolutely certain” they will vote this year.
With election season in full swing, these findings paint an optimistic picture about the state of political engagement on college campuses. However, we’ve also found that students’ attitudes are fractured along familiar lines of race, political affiliation, and gender.
Here is what our research covers:
- Political activism on campus
- Candidate preference and level of enthusiasm
- Students’ preferred voting methods
To gain access to more insights, download our free report.
This report was featured in: CNBC, Forbes, The Hill, and Vox.
Methodology:
The initial sample was drawn from College Pulse’s American College Student Panel™ that includes more than 400,000 verified undergraduate students representing more than 1,000 different two- and four-year colleges and universities in all 50 states. To ensure the panel reflects the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the American college population, we recruit panelists from a wide variety of different institutions. The panel includes students attending large public universities, small private colleges, online universities, historically Black colleges such as Howard University, and religiously-affiliated schools such as Brigham Young University.
For further information on the methodology, please visit: https://collegepulse.com/methodology/
