For our 2024 Political Issue, the Independent surveyed Harvard College undergraduates on their political beliefs and feelings towards the upcoming presidential election. Over a two-day period, we received 391 varying responses. Note that all questions were anonymous and optional, so not all 391 respondents answered every question.
Demographics
The survey received an almost even split of responses between class years: 105 first-years, 99 sophomores, 83 juniors, and 102 seniors.
With respect to gender identity, the observed numbers were again balanced: 196 of the respondents identified as female, 177 of the respondents identified as male, and 13 of the respondents identified as non-binary or genderqueer. The majority of the respondents were white/Caucasian, totalling 60.9%, followed by Asian/Pacific Islander at 27.2%, Hispanic at 13.7%, and Black or African American at 10.9%. Native American, Middle Eastern, and students of other races and ethnicities also represented approximately 2% of the respondents.
Students were asked to rank their religious views from non-religious (0) to very religious (6): the most common response was a 0 with 25.8%, followed by a 1 with 21.4% and a 4 with 12.9%. Students were asked to rank their socio-economic status from lower (1) to upper (6): most respondents were in the middle of the scale, with 30.3% answering 4, 28.8% at 5, and 14.4% at 3.
Compounding this distribution of personal identifiers, STEM, social sciences, and arts and humanities majors were all well-represented in the survey, with each category having at least 90 respondents. Social sciences was most represented at 185 students, with STEM closely behind at 180 students.
Political Activity
We began with a section on political activity to gauge students past engagements with politics and plans for this election.
87.3% of respondents noted that they are registered to vote in the United States, but 12.7% are not. 84% of students plan to vote in the upcoming presidential election, while 3.6% do not. Note that 12.4% of students are unable to or undecided.
61.4% of students have not worked on a previous political campaign, but for those who did, 121 students worked for a Democratic candidate, 18 worked for a Republican candidate, and 5 worked for a candidate of a different party.
If the 2024 presidential election were held today, 302 students would vote for Vice President and Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, and 60 students would vote for former President and Republican nominee, Donald Trump. 10 students indicated they would vote for a third party candidate. 79.3% of students were not able to vote in the last election, but for those who did, 12.7% voted for current President Joe Biden, 2.8% voted for Trump, and 2.8% voted for a third party candidate or chose not to vote.
Political Beliefs
Shifting from voting to a variety of political viewpoints and issues, respondents were asked a series of questions in which their answers could range from “strongly disagree” (1) to “strongly agree” (5).
First, when asked if they felt as if the upcoming election was critical and high stakes, 65.3% of students strongly agreed. 74.5% of students agreed or strongly agreed that there is only one possible “good” outcome in this election. However, despite this response, 69% of students disagreed or strongly disagreed that people voting for the opposite political party are “bad” people.
Then, when presented with the statement, “If a person is eligible to vote in this presidential election and chooses not to, they are being selfish and making a bad choice,” student responses varied, with each option receiving at least 11.9%. A third of students agreed (4) with the statement.
The next questions addressed more specific political opinions.
32.4% of students responded neutrally (3) to the belief that Americans pay way too many taxes, followed closely by 30.3% who disagreed with the statement.
When asked if they agreed that pregnant people should have easy and safe access to an abortion, the overwhelming majority agreed or strongly agreed, coming in at 80.8%.
Similar responses were recorded for the following statement that the U.S. should have stricter gun control legislation, with 82.4% of students agreeing or strongly agreeing.
Responses were more mixed about U.S. military spending, with 54% of students agreeing or strongly agreeing that the U.S. puts too much money in its military.
Opinions were similarly mixed on the subsequent question discussing if U.S. immigration laws are too severe. Answers on this subject varied, with each receiving at least 12% of votes. 2 and 3 received the highest proportion of responses.
Only 7.4% of students strongly agreed that they trust the current government on sensitive issues, while 80% of responses fell in the 2 to 4 range. 63.3% of students agreed or strongly agreed that a presidential candidate’s plan for addressing conflicts outside the U.S. should play a big role in this election.
Politics at Harvard
For this section, respondents were similarly asked a series of questions about their political experiences at Harvard. Again, they could answer in a range from “strongly disagree” (1) to “strongly agree” (5).
When asked if they feel comfortable expressing their political opinions at Harvard, 54.8% of students agreed and 28.5% disagreed. 59.4% agreed or strongly agreed that Harvard is a politically polarized campus, and less than 3% strongly disagreed. Despite the previously observed majority believing that Harvard is politically polarized, 73.9% of students agreed or strongly agreed that they can have friends at Harvard who have very different political beliefs.
65.3% of students disagreed or strongly disagreed that Harvard faculty push their political beliefs onto students in class. However, 19.8% agreed with the statement. When asked if they trust Harvard students and faculty to make informed, thoughtful political choices, only 8.1% of students strongly agreed. 37.8% of students agreed (4), 27.3% felt neutral (3), 17.2% disagreed (2), and 9.6% strongly disagreed. In other words, around one fourth of the Harvard undergraduate respondents have low confidence in their peers’ and faculty’s political choices.
Student Commentary
For the final part of our survey, we asked respondents to anonymously provide optional answers to a series of prompts. Here are some common or striking responses from each question.
“What factors are most important to you in this upcoming election?”
Women’s rights, reproductive healthcare, climate and the environment, gun control, and the economy were the most frequent issues referenced by students. Many students also mentioned the Israel-Palestine conflict and their desire for demands for a ceasefire in Gaza as critical factors.
Do you think it’s important to vote? Why or why not?
While many students expressed disdain for the electoral college, the majority still expressed that they believe it is very important to vote.
“Extremely important. So much is at stake. Our futures, our health, our safety, our freedom, etc. If one has the privilege to vote for one’s own freedom, they should.”
“It is essential to vote and childish not to. It is an immense privilege to have a voice in government. Those who don’t take that voice take that privilege for granted.”
“Yes, moderately so, but civics don’t begin or end there. Some of the most powerful and lasting civic and societal change happens outside of the government and its bureaucratic mechanisms.”
Why are you voting for the candidate that you are planning to vote for?
Students expressed their support for both the democratic and republican nominee as well as third party candidates.
“Kamala Harris supports healthcare reform, abortion access, and gun safety legislation. As a person with a chronic illness, my ability to afford necessary medication (and to even have legal access to that necessary medication) is on the line in this election. As a woman, I want to have autonomy over my body. And as a graduate of a Broward County, FL public high school, I am ardently aware of the need for more thorough gun safety legislation.”
“I just think the Kamala administration’s plans would not have as much of an impact economically on my actual experience as a citizen in the United States.”
“Although I have huge reservations about Harris’s policy in Palestine, I believe that the Biden administration has done positive things for the country in regards to inflation and I have grave concerns about Trump’s policies on abortion, housing/homelessness, queer rights, and his attitude towards democracy.”
“I am voting for Trump because he has helped promote the pro-life cause and has saved many unborn babies’ lives with his political decisions, because he actually cares about the security and safety of our nation unlike democrat politicians who allow tons of illegal immigrants to enter the country without caring about the Americans they are supposed to serve, and because he cares about improving the economy as well. A candidate that believes in God and promotes Christian, traditional values in some ways and fails in others is better than a candidate that opposes most of what that this country used to stand for and what God intends for his people.”
Do you think Harvard is a comfortable place to be during an election? Why or why not?
Generally, responses from conservative students expressed that they felt judged and uncomfortable speaking about politics on campus. Liberal students did not express the same concerns explaining that they see Harvard as an open-minded and inclusive community.
“Absolutely not. Most students here identify as liberal, so it’s quite difficult to exist in this place as a conservative. Many (but importantly, not all) liberal students on this campus refuse to associate with conservatives, because they make assumptions on their personal values based on how the popular media portrays them. Much harmful rhetoric is perpetrated about conservatives online by liberal students on their personal social media. Word of mouth goes around, warning others that another student is a conservative. Nearly every conservative I’ve met on this campus has to hide their political identity, which is a big part of one’s identity at this age, so as not to lose social status and/or friends.”
“Yes and no. People here often shy away from difficult political conversations, which can be comfortable or not, depending on your perspective. Personally, not knowing where much of the student body stands politically makes me uncomfortable.”
“I think it is an exciting and enriching place to be as an epicenter of American political thought. I think it is an uncomfortable place to be because of the national spotlight and significance of this institution, but so far I’ve seen it manifest in the best ways in terms of the programming offered by HKS and the College.”
Is this election more important than most past presidential elections have been? Why or why not?
Most students felt this election is more important than the average election. Some students, however, did not feel confident enough about their knowledge of past presidential elections to answer.
“Yes, because this isn’t an election about differences in policy. It’s about even deeper differences in terms of what the candidate believes should be the power of the presidency and what democracy looks like.”
“Yes, because in previous elections there hasn’t been the danger of the combination of the catastrophic possibility of Donald Trump’s policies and the actual logistical apparatus to execute them.”
“Not significantly. I think the most important factor is national decline—under Trump, we raise the national temperature, but under Kamala, it’s overregulation and death by a thousand cuts. Otherwise, the economic or social climate isn’t anything we haven’t seen before.”
“Every election is important, but given Trump’s current rhetoric, I believe this one is as important as ever. A Trump presidency would likely lead the United States toward a dictatorship.”
If you could send a message to all people eligible to vote in the upcoming election, what would it be?
“Young people from just a few states can decide this election. Please do not take this opportunity to vote for granted.”
“Please do the due diligence of researching your candidate well and understanding exactly what you are voting for. Do not simply let media outlets like Fox, CNN, MSNBC, etc… sway your decision; look strictly at policies and existing numbers/data, and vote for the person you believe aligns with your values and aspirations best.”
“Engage with somebody close to you who does not hold the same political beliefs and really try to understand where they are coming from. Always good to think about the good in people that you disagree with on such polarizing issues.”
Thank you for participating in and reading the results from the Harvard Independent’s 2024 Political Survey. For further information on the survey and to see the other articles in this year’s edition, read The Political Issue out now!
Layla Chaaraoui ’26 (laylachaaraoui@college.harvard.edu) and Natalie Frank ’27 (nfrank@college.harvard.edu) write News for the Independent.