- Nearly three-quarters (74%) of students support the House’s decision to impeach President Trump — a significant jump from November, when roughly half (54%) believed Trump should be impeached.
- About 3 in 10 (28%) students say they are confident the Senate will hold a fair impeachment trial, while about 7 in 10 (71%) are not confident.
- Three-quarters (75%) of students feel the same about voting in the 2020 presidential election as they did before the impeachment trial.
After President Trump was impeached in December, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has delayed sending two articles of impeachment to the Senate. A majority of college students are on the same page, supporting the decision to impeach the 45th president but lacking confidence the Senate will hold a fair trial.
A new survey of 1,500 undergraduates finds that nearly three-quarters (74%) support the House of Representatives’ decision to impeach President Trump — a significant jump from November, when about half (54%) of students believed Trump should be impeached and removed from office.
College Students’ Support for Impeachment Jumps 20 Points
However, there are stark divides between students of different political leanings and genders. Democrats are five times as likely as Republicans to say they favor Trump’s impeachment (98% vs. 19%). And female students are more likely than male students to say the same (81% vs. 64%).
Students across the political spectrum largely agree on one thing — the Republican-controlled Senate is likely to keep Trump in office. An overwhelming majority of both Republicans (94%) and Democrats (85%) say it is not likely Trump will be removed.
Pelosi has said she will delay sending the articles of impeachment to the Senate until she believes the chamber will hold a “fair” trial. About 3 in 10 (28%) students say they are confident the Senate will hold a fair impeachment trial, while about 7 in 10 (71%) are not confident in the process. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of college Republicans are confident, compared to just 15% of Democrats. And male students are significantly more likely than female students to say they are confident in the process (36% vs. 23%).
With few expectations that anything will come of the Senate impeachment trial, just 37% of students plan to follow the trial closely. About 6 in 10 (62%) say they will not watch closely. Half (50%) of Democrats say they will follow it closely, compared to 32% of Republicans.
If Trump is not removed from office, almost half (48%) of students think his impeachment will have somewhat of an impact on the 2020 presidential race. Roughly one-quarter (26%) of students think it will not have much of an impact on the election, while 17% say it will have a big impact and 9% say it will have no impact at all. Republicans are more than twice as likely as Democrats to say Trump’s impeachment will have no impact (18% vs. 6%), and less likely to say it will have somewhat of an impact (36% vs. 54%).
Democrats are More Likely to Say the Impeachment Will Impact the 2020 Election
If Trump is NOT removed from office, how much of an impact do you think his impeachment will have on the 2020 presidential race?
The impeachment trial did little to change students’ minds about the upcoming presidential election or energize those who already opposed Trump’s reelection. Three-quarters (75%) of students say they feel the same about voting in the 2020 presidential election now that the House has impeached Trump, while 19% say they are more excited to vote than they were before the impeachment inquiry. Just 6% say they are now less excited to vote.
To receive regular updates about this study, as well as other key college student insights, sign up here.
__________________________
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.
