By Dan Cox
College Pulse, Head of Research
Highlights
- The top issues for Democratic college students are the environment (37 percent), income inequality (17 percent), and reproductive health (9 percent)
- 72 percent of Democratic students say they would be less likely to support a candidate who has never held elected office compared to 45 percent of Republican students
- More than half (55 percent) of Democratic college students say a candidate’s stance on issues is more important than their ability to defeat Donald Trump
College students could be the difference-maker in the 2020 presidential election, but many candidates are still struggling to connect with them. The Chegg/College Pulse Student Election Tracker finds that only two candidates — Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders — have garnered substantial support among this critical demographic. There is no secret formula to win student support, but a new survey provides some important clues.
One Issue Tops Them All
Donald Trump and the Democratic candidates running to replace him have already discussed a wide range of issues in the early stages of the 2020 election. However, one issue has been conspicuously absent from the Democratic debates: climate change and the environment. There is no issue more important to college students than the environment. A new survey conducted by Chegg and College Pulse finds that more than one in four (28 percent) college students say that climate change and the environment is the single most important issue for them. This is issue is more frequently cited by students than the wealth gap (13 percent), immigration (11 percent), abortion (10 percent), the cost of education (9 percent), and gun policy (8 percent).
What’s more, there was broad agreement among students across lines of race, ethnicity, religion and gender. Among nearly every type of student, climate change and the environment was cited as students’ number one concern, with one exception. The priorities of Republican students were starkly different. Thirty-seven percent of Democratic students, and 28 percent of Independent students, said that climate change and the environment is the issue they care about the most. In contrast, only six percent of Republicans say the same. By contrast, Republican students are far more likely than Democratic students to prioritize immigration (24 percent vs. 8 percent).
As you think about the upcoming 2020 presidential election, which of the following issues is the single MOST important to you personally?
Candidate Qualities: What College Students Care About in a Candidate
College students are not looking for any one type of candidate in terms of personal background. Most say they would not be more likely to support candidates of color or female candidates. Only 21 percent of students, including 29 percent of female students, say they would be more likely to support a female candidate for president. Even fewer students say they would be more inclined to support a candidate because the candidate is black (11 percent) or Hispanic (10 percent).
Few students care about the academic credentials of the candidates either. Only 20 percent say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who attended a prestigious university. Nearly three-quarters say the candidate’s educational pedigree would make no difference to them. Notably, students who attend private colleges or universities are more likely than those attending public institutions to prefer a candidate with a prestigious alma mater (32 percent vs. 18 percent).
There are, however, attributes that students do care about, but these are mostly qualities that harm their candidacy.
Many college students are wary of “very religious” candidates. Half of all college students say they would be less likely to support a candidate who is very religious, while only 11 percent said this would make them more inclined to support them. A strong religious background is particularly a liability among Democratic students as over two-thirds (68 percent) say they would be less likely to support a very religious candidate, while only 11 percent of Republican students agree.
Religiosity is something that gay and lesbian students care about. More than three-quarters (76 percent) of gay and lesbian students say they would be less likely to support a very religious candidate.
Students also have qualms about older candidates. Close to half (46 percent) of students say they would be less likely to vote for a candidate who is in their 70s. Slightly more than half (51 percent) say the candidate’s age would not be an important consideration. Despite the fact that several of the Democratic front-runners are in their 70s — Joe Biden is 76 and Bernie Sanders is 77 — age is more of an issue for Democratic students than Republican students. Nearly half (49 percent) of Democratic students say they would be less likely to support a candidate who is in their 70s compared to 33 percent of Republican students.
Joel Tanner, a libertarian student at Clemson University, is one student for whom age is an issue. On the Democratic side, he says he feels more closely aligned to Biden than most of the other candidates. “He’s more moderate and Obama wasn’t that bad a president. But he’s been gaffing real hard, and he’s just so old.”
Finally, in the Trump era, political experience may be more of an asset for candidates. Six in ten (60 percent) college students report that they would be less likely to vote for a candidate that has never held elected office, including 72 percent of Democratic students, but close to half (45 percent) of Republican students.
Satisfaction with the Democratic Field & The Electability Argument
Among Democratic college students, electability is a compelling argument. Close to half (44 percent) of Democratic students say they would prefer the candidate with the best chance of defeating Donald Trump, while 55 percent say they would support the candidate whose views come closest to their own on important issues.
In general, Democratic students appear satisfied with the current crop of candidates running for president, but few report being very satisfied. Roughly three-quarters of Democratic students are satisfied with the Democratic contenders, but only 15 percent report feeling very satisfied with the field. Roughly one-quarter (23 percent) say they are not satisfied.
Most college students say they would prefer the Democratic nominee to be at least somewhat liberal. Twenty-eight percent say they would rather the Democratic Party nominate a moderate while only 16 percent say would prefer a conservative nominee. Among all Democratic students, 84 percent would prefer a liberal nominee.
There is a stark gender gap. Six in ten (60%) college women say they would generally prefer the Democratic nominee to be at least somewhat liberal; however, fewer than half (45 percent) of college men say the same.
Jeremy Peisner, an undergraduate at Pennsylvania State University, says he is generally content with the crop of Democratic candidates, but worries about the leftward trajectory of the party. “I’m probably about as moderate as you can get,” he says. “I like Joe Biden, but he is kind of getting old. You really need a moderate if you’re going to win.”
About Chegg:
Chegg puts students first. As the leading student-first connected learning platform, Chegg strives to improve the overall return on investment in education by helping students learn more in less time and at a lower cost. Chegg is a publicly-held company based in Santa Clara, California and trades on the NYSE under the symbol CHGG. For more information, visit www.chegg.com.
About College Pulse:
College Pulse is an online survey and analytics company dedicated to understanding the attitudes, preferences, and behaviors of today’s college students. College Pulse offers custom data-driven marketing and research solutions, utilizing its unique American College Student Panel™ that includes 250,000 college student respondents from more than 800 two and four-year colleges and universities in all 50 states. For more information, visit https://collegepulse.com/.