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The National Programs conduct research such as the Fall and Spring national
surveys on the views of college students about politics and public service, as well as
develop partnerships with national groups in the youth voting community.

See our recent survery results.

Washington, DC – A new national poll by Harvard University’s Institute of Politics (IOP), located at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, finds former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and U.S. Senator Barack Obama remain the top choices for president among likely 18-24 year-old voters of both parties.

Young likely Democratic voters now appear to be more aligned behind a specific candidate than they were this spring, as the percentage of “undecided” in their choice for president has significantly dropped since March (21% to 13%). In contrast, the percentage of “undecided” likely Republican voters has increased slightly over the same period (28% to 30%). The poll also finds while only eighteen percent (18%) of likely Democratic voters who choose a candidate say they are dissatisfied with the choice of candidates for their party’s nomination, the percentage almost doubles (36%) among likely Republican voters who choose a candidate concerning choices in their party. Another of the poll’s key findings shows only three in ten (30%) young people believe that the Democratic and Republican parties do an adequate job of representing the American people, with a plurality (37%) saying the two parties are doing such a poor job that a third major party is needed.

"The most interesting aspect of the survey relates less to candidate preferences than to the indication that young people are focusing on the issues facing America, and this cohort of nearly 30 million 18-24 year-olds is substantial and likely to have a significant impact in the upcoming election," said IOP Director and former U.S. Representative (R-IA) James A. Leach.

The online survey of 2,526 18-24 year old U.S. citizens conducted by Harris Interactive® for the IOP between October 28 and November 9, 2007 finds –

• Young Democrats still favor U.S. Senator Barack Obama over U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton for President in 2008, particularly "on campus," while Clinton edges Obama among non-college youth. The poll shows more than one-third (38%) of likely 18-24 year-old Democratic voters maintain that U.S. Senator Barack Obama would be their first choice for President in 2008, followed by U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton (33%) and former U.S. Senator John Edwards (7%) – similar margins seen in March 2007 IOP polling (35%, 29%, 9% respectively). This contrasts with most national polls of registered voters, where Senator Clinton leads Senator Obama and former Senator Edwards (44%, 25%, 14% – CNN poll of registered Democratic Voters 11/2 – 11/4). On college campuses, Senator Obama enjoys an even greater lead over Senator Clinton (44%-23%), but Senator Clinton takes the lead over Senator Obama among 18-24 year-old Democrats who have never enrolled in any college (38%-31%). While Senator Obama leads Senator Clinton by over ten percentage points among young Democratic men (40%-28%), there appears to be a virtual dead heat between the two among young Democratic women (Clinton - 37%, Obama - 36%). More than half of young Democratic African-Americans favor Senator Obama over Senator Clinton (62%-25%), and more than half of young Democratic Hispanics favor Clinton over Obama (54%-20%).
• Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani still leads challengers among young Republicans, but “undecided” voters and those favoring former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul are growing. While former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani leads U.S. Senator John McCain and former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney among young likely Republican voters (26%, 15%, 6%), all three have lost some ground since March (31%, 18%, 8%). Factors in the drop may include the addition of former U.S. Senator Fred Thompson (9%) into the presidential race, growing support for former U.S. Representative Ron Paul (1% in March 2007, 6% in November) and an increase in “undecided” voters (28% in March 2007, 30% in November). In addition, among likely Democratic and Republican voters who choose a candidate nearly two in ten (18%) likely Democratic voters say they are dissatisfied with the choice of candidates for their party’s nomination, but almost twice as many (36%) Republicans say the same about their party’s choices.
• Nearly two in five young people say the Democratic and Republican parties aren’t representing them well enough; support exists for a major third party candidate. Only thirty percent (30%) of 18-24 year-olds today believe that the Democratic and Republican parties are adequately representing the American people, and nearly two in five (37%) say that the two parties are doing such a poor job that a third major party is needed. A third party candidate is likely to be better received from the left than the right, as forty-one percent (41%) of young registered Democratic voters believe a major third party is required, with only twenty-nine percent (29%) approving of the job the two major parties are doing. In contrast, more than four in ten young registered Republican voters (47%) approve of the job the two major parties are doing in representing the American people, with thirty-two percent (32%) saying a poor job by the two parties necessitates a third major party. What’s more, forty-four percent (44%) of liberals believe a third major party is needed, while only thirty-two percent (32%) of conservatives say the same.
• Healthcare becomes the second most pressing national issue of concern among young people today. Although Iraq and the War in general is still the top national concern of America’s youth today (37%), nearly one in ten young people (9%) say that healthcare is the “national issue” that concerns them most – more than double the number seen in March 2007 IOP polling (4%). In addition, twice as many young people today favor a universal healthcare system (50%) than those who favor the current system (25%).
• While young “Independents” outnumber young Democrats and Republicans, minorities – particularly Hispanics – could grow the Democratic Party in coming years. As seen previously, fall IOP polling shows more young people identify as “independent” (40%) than as Democrats (35%) or Republicans (25%). While fewer young people currently choose to identify with one of the two major parties, IOP polling data indicates that those who do affiliate with a major party seem loyal to it. About the same number in each major party call themselves “strong” members of their party: forty-three percent (43%) of young Democrats call themselves “strong Democrats” and forty-five percent (45%) call themselves “strong Republicans.” However, in future years, the Democratic Party could see increases from several minority segments of the population, including young Hispanics who not only are more than twice as likely (46%) to be young Democrats than young Republicans (22%) but also are the demographic group with the highest party loyalty (83%) measured.
• Young people are politically engaged and looking forward to participating in the 2008 presidential election. Consistent with findings from March 2007 IOP polling, America’s 18-24 year-olds appear politically engaged as we approach the presidential primary and caucus season. Forty-one percent (41%) of 18-24 year-olds say they will definitely be voting in a presidential primary or caucus next year (March 2007 – 42%) and sixty-one percent (61%) say the same about voting in the general election (March 2007 – 61%). Six in ten (60%) say they follow news about national politics either very or somewhat closely, and – as in March – more than one-third (35%) consider themselves politically engaged and active.
• America’s youth are ready to volunteer on a political campaign that asks them. More than one-third of young people who support a Democratic or Republican candidate (35%) said they would be somewhat or very likely to volunteer if asked by a campaign they supported.
• About half of all 18-24 year-olds have volunteered for community service in the last year. In the last 12 months, forty-eight percent (48%) have volunteered for community service, with nearly six in ten (57%) of those volunteering doing so about once a month or more.  Segments of this population most likely to volunteer in their communities are 4-year college (62%) and graduate students (65%), high school students (58%), and supporters of Senator Obama (63%).

Harvard students designed the poll, in consultation with Kennedy School lecturer David King and IOP Polling Director John Della Volpe, whose firm SocialSphere commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct the survey. Complete results and past surveys are available online at www.iop.harvard.edu.

The Harvard Institute of Politics’ 13th Biannual Youth Survey on Politics and Public Service was conducted online by Harris Interactive among 1,289 U.S. citizens ages 18 to 24 years old enrolled in 4-year colleges and universities, and 1,237 U.S. citizens ages 18-24 not enrolled in 4-year colleges and universities. The study was fielded between October 28 and November 9, 2007. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, household income and region for these populations were weighted where necessary to bring them in line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online. Harris Interactive was responsible for the data collection for this study; the Harvard Institute of Politics completed the analysis and reporting of the data.

All sample surveys and polls, whether or not they use probability sampling, are subject to multiple sources of error which are most often not possible to quantify or estimate, including sampling error, coverage error, error associated with nonresponse, error associated with question wording and response options, and post-survey weighting and adjustments. Therefore, Harris Interactive avoids the words “margin of error” as they are misleading. All that can be calculated are different possible sampling errors with different probabilities for pure, unweighted, random samples with 100% response rates. These are only theoretical because no published polls come close to this ideal. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have agreed to participate in Harris Interactive surveys. The data have been weighted to reflect the composition of the U.S. 18-24 year old adult population. Because the sample is based on those who agreed to be invited to participate in the Harris Interactive online research panel, no estimates of theoretical sampling error can be calculated.

Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and one of the fastest-growing market research firms in the world. The company provides innovative research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world’s largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its North American, European and Asian offices and through a global network of independent market research firms. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at www.harrisinteractive.com