Younger voters appear to have increasingly negative attitudes toward the Biden administration, according to newly released polling data.
Echelon Insights, a right-leaning polling firm, published data from its November “National Political Update” that showed 51 percent of voters ages 18 to 29 would vote for former President Donald Trump over President Joe Biden, given a choice between the two men, if the 2024 election were held today.
This is compared with 40 percent for Biden. Eight percent of respondents said they were unsure.
The firm polled 168 people in the age group, out of 1,013 respondents total, from Nov. 12 to 18.
When those figures are broken down, 40 percent said they would “definitely” vote for Trump, as opposed to just 26 percent who would “definitely” vote for Biden.
These same respondents were asked who they voted for in 2020, and 55 percent said they cast their ballot for Biden compared with 40 percent for Trump.
That is a 26 percent net positive change for the former president, who has been teasing a 2024 president run since leaving office in January.
NEW: @EchelonInsights 2024 GE
18 to 29 year olds were asked if they voted for Biden or Trump in 2020
(D) Biden 55%
(R) Trump 40If 2024 GE were today would you vote for Biden or Trump? (18-29)
(R) Trump 51% (+11)
(D) Biden 40%Net Change: Trump +26
1,013 RV | 11/12-11/18 pic.twitter.com/hGZ34mzXq0
— InteractivePolls (@PollsandOdds) December 2, 2021
While critics might argue the poll is an outlier, it aligns with other data on how Biden is performing with younger voters.
According to a recent Harvard Youth Poll, Biden’s approval rating among the same age group has plummeted 13 percent since March and is now at 46 percent.
The latest @HarvardIOP poll of under-30 voters has grim news for Biden. Bad enough that his approval rating among young voters has dropped 13 percentage points since March. But among young Latino voters, it's dropped 21 points. via @DavidLauter https://t.co/CHcC2WKZil
— Janet Hook (@hookjan) December 3, 2021
Outside of presidential politics, last month’s Virginia gubernatorial race matched these findings as well.
A CNN exit poll found that 45 percent of voters ages 18 to 29 backed Republican Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, only slightly behind Democrat Terry McAulliffe’s 53 percent.
Part of this could center around lower turnout from younger voters in election off years, especially as young leftists continue to grow angered with the political system at large.
Youngkin’s campaign focused heavily on education, which resonated with students and new parents concerned about their child’s future.
Regardless, these numbers spell disaster for Democrats in the midterms.
If one of the most reliably Democratic demographics is having doubts about the Biden administration, it means the party will struggle across the board to retain both chambers of Congress.
Republicans need to take advantage of this by making it clear to younger voters that issues such as inflation and high gas prices are the result of poor fiscal and energy policy from liberals.
In addition, college students, in particular, will also want to hear from Republicans about issues such as campus free speech and abortion, which are hot-button “culture war” topics.
It’s too far out to truly know the landscape for 2024 candidates, but one thing is clear: Americans of all ages are unhappy with the Biden agenda.