Multiple Democratic presidential candidates have unveiled student loan forgiveness plans, for good reason. A new survey of 3,000 undergraduates conducted by Chegg and College Pulse found that college students are poised to have a big impact in the 2020 election. A majority of college students (59%) say the 2020 election will be more important for the country than any other election in their lifetime. At the same time, Donald Trump remains unpopular on college campuses, which could spell trouble for his reelection in a competitive race. Only 20% of college students say they would vote for the president if the election were held today, although male college students are significantly more likely to support the president than female students (30% vs. 12%). And students believe in themselves to shape the election. Nearly half of all students (46%) and a majority of female students (55%) believe college students will have a major impact on the election.
This survey is part of the Chegg/College Pulse Election Tracker aimed at offering an in-depth guide to how the race for the Democratic nomination is shaping up among college students. Learn more about the tracker here. To receive weekly updates on college students’ views leading up to the 2020 election, and other key college student opinion data, sign up here. You can also stay up to date by following @Chegg and @CollegeInsights on Twitter.