Regardless of how they vote on Election Day, most college students don’t feel like their interests are being represented by Democratic or Republican politicians.
A new survey of 980 undergraduates finds that almost 6 in 10 (58%) say they don’t feel like either major political party represents their interests. This sentiment is popular among students across the political spectrum, with 4 in 10 students who are registered as both Democrats (42%) and Republicans (45%) saying neither party adequately represents them.
LGBTQ students and students on financial aid are more likely than their peers to feel underrepresented in the current political landscape. Two-thirds (64%) of LGBTQ students say they don’t feel like either major political party represents their interests, compared to about half (55%) of straight students. And almost 6 in 10 (59%) students with financial aid agree, compared to half (52%) of students without financial aid.
“I really hope our generation ends the two [party] system somehow,” a Valparaiso University student says. A University of Massachusetts Amherst student notes that “almost every other democracy has more than two significant parties.”
Regardless of how you vote, do you feel like either major political party represents your interests?
Overall, roughly 4 in 10 (44%) students approve of the way President Joe Biden is handling his job as president so far, compared to 29% who disapprove and 27% who are not sure. Students who say neither political party represents their interests are particularly undecided about President Biden (35% are unsure and 35% approve), while three-quarters (74%) of those who say the Democratic Party represents their interests approve of President Biden.
Students are even more unsure about Vice President Kamala Harris. One-third of students (34%) say they approve of the way Vice President Harris is handling the job, while 4 in 10 (40%) say they’re unsure. However, female students are twice as likely as male students to approve of the vice president (42% vs. 23%).
Do you approve or disapprove of the way ___ is handling their job?
When it comes to President Biden’s campaign promises, almost 4 in 10 (39%) students think he has kept some so far, compared to 12% who say he’s kept most or all of them. Republican students are more likely to say he’s kept none or not too many campaign promises (73%), compared to Democratic students who are more likely to say he’s kept some or most (70%).
“He had such a huge focus on unity in his speech, but I feel like there’s been anything but that,” a University of Wisconsin-Whitewater student says. “This country is just getting more and more divided.”
President Biden’s COVID-19 pandemic response during his first 100 days in office was largely a success, according to students. A majority of students give the president an “A” (33%) or “B” (31%) on his response to the global pandemic, while his grade skews more towards a “B” (35%) than an “A” (14%) for economic recovery. Though Republicans are more likely than Democrats to give President Biden an “F” on every issue, almost half (50%) give him a passing grade (“C” or above) on his pandemic response. College students are less impressed with President Biden’s actions to address climate change or the student debt crisis, giving him a “C” and “F” respectively.
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Methodology: This survey was designed and conducted by College Pulse. Interviews were conducted from April 21 to May 13 among a sample of 980 full-time and part-time students attending colleges or universities in the U.S. who are part of College Pulse’s American College Student Panel.
