The Spring 2024 Harvard Youth Poll found Donald Trump’s support among voters aged 18-29 — the key to Joe Biden’s reelection prospects — now stands at 37 percent. The Democrat incumbent leads his predecessor by eight points, at 45 percent, but this is a drastic drop from his 23-point lead among younger voters at this stage in the 2020 election.
Biden’s lead over Trump is much smaller among young men — at six points — than among women, at 33 points. He is also less popular among the youngest Generation Z voters, aged 18-24, than among voters aged 25-9, by a margin of 12 points.
Trump-backing youngsters are also far more enthusiastic than Biden-backing youngsters. Seventy-six percent of young Trump supporters say they “enthusiastically support their candidate,” while just 44 percent of young Biden supporters say the same.
Regarding their priorities, younger voters put the economy and immigration at the top of the list. Trump generally outperforms his successor in polling on both issues.
Reuters/Ipsos polling on 18-29-year-old voters in March painted an even bleaker picture for the 81-year-old Democrat, with a 29 percent to 26 percent advantage — just three points.
The findings come as Biden is already struggling with black male voters, another demographic key to his official victory in the 2020 election.
Trump enjoys solid support among America’s hardest workers, with support at 80 percent among people working over 60 hours a week. Biden, meanwhile, only takes a decisive advantage among people working 29 hours or less.
Similarly, Biden enjoys majority support among people who believe they have an “above average” or “far above average” income. In contrast, Trump enjoys majority support among people who think their income is average, below average, or far below average.
These developments likely contribute to Trump’s current lead in six out of seven swing states.
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