IOP national poll finds youth favor Giuliani, Obama

A new national poll by the Institute of Politics (IOP) at the Kennedy School of Government finds that former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani and U.S. Sen. Barack Obama remain the top choices for president among likely 18- to 24-year-old voters of both parties. Harris Interactive conducted the online survey of 2,526 U.S. citizens for the IOP between Oct. 28 and Nov. 9.

Among the survey’s findings, young Democrats still favor Obama for president over Hillary Clinton, particularly on college campuses; Giuliani still leads challengers among young Republicans; and nearly two in five young people say the Democratic and Republican parties aren’t representing them well enough.

Additionally, 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 (down to 13 percent from 21 percent). In contrast, the percentage of “undecided” likely Republican voters has increased slightly over the same period (28 to 30 percent). The poll also finds that, while only 18 percent 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 among likely Republican voters.

“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- to 24-year-olds is substantial and likely to have a significant impact in the upcoming election,” said IOP Director James A. Leach.

Harvard students designed the poll, in consultation with IOP polling director John Della Volpe.