74% of Students Support Clinton In Election Poll

Nearly three-fourths of Harvard undergraduates support Democratic candidate Bill Clinton in next week's presidential election, according to a poll conducted last week by The Crimson.

Seventy-four percent of the 471 students surveyed at random said they would vote for the Clinton-Gore ticket, while 14 percent endorsed President Bush and Vice President Dan Quayle's bid for reelection. Independent candidate Ross Perot was chosen by five percent of those polled.

These results place Harvard near the liberal extreme of Ivy League schools, based on surveys conducted by student newspapers last week at all Ivy schools except for Cornell University.

Brown University barely beat out Harvard for the highest percentage of Clinton backers, with 79 percent, while only 9 percent of Brown students called themselves Bush-Quayle supporters.

The University of Pennsylvania proved the most conservative, with only 51 percent saying they support Clinton-Gore, and 20 percent Bush-Quayle.

The poll at Harvard, conducted on October 21, has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.6 percent.

David C. Bunker '93, president of the Harvard-Radcliffe College Democrats, says the strong support for Clinton in the poll "is fairly representative of what I see on campus."

But the Harvard Republican Club President Emil G. Michael '94 says thecampus is more conservative than indicated by thepoll, and predicts that 35 percent of Harvardstudents will vote for Bush on November 3.

"I think that more than twice as many people oncampus will vote for Bush than the poll shows,"Michael says.

"So many of the Clinton-Gore people arebandwagon fans who are not going to pull the leverfor Clinton when it comes time to go to the pollbooth," Michael adds.

While Bunker says most of Clinton'sundergraduate support here is due to thetraditionally liberal makeup of the student body,he says he expects many conservative students tocross party lines this election over social issuessuch as gay rights and abortion rights.

"I think there have to be some independents andRepublicans on campus voting for Clinton," Bunkersays. "I talked to some economically conservativestudents who went to the Republican Convention andsaid they are tired of the pandering Bush has donefor the right wing."

The poll also revealed that education is one ofthe issues that Harvard students will weigh mostheavily when casting their ballots next week.

When asked if the candidates' positions onabortion, education, environment, health care andthe job market were "not important, somewhatimportant or very important" in influencing theirvotes, 75 percent of the students placed educationin the "very important" category.

Fifty-five percent said the job market is "veryimportant," while 53 percent placed the abortionissue on that level. Health care and theenvironment were rated "very important" by only 45and 43 percent of students, respectively.

Voting Trends

A breakdown of the Harvard results shows thatwhile both men and women support Clinton over Bushby similar margins, a gradual shift in votingbehavior appeared through the four class years.Results varied widely from house to house, as didthose from different campus ethnic groups.

Seventy-eight percent of undergraduate women,and 71 percent of undergraduate men, said theywould vote for the Arkansas governor.

The percentage of students voting for Clintonincreased as class years progressed, ranging from65 percent of first-years to 78 percent ofseniors. Support for Bush fell with each class,from 19 percent of first-years to 10 percent ofseniors.

Clinton's most significant support amongupperclass students was in Adams House, where theDemocrat garnered 91 percent of votes in the poll.Clinton also received high marks in Dunster andLeverett Houses.

Winthrop and Kirkland qualified as the poll'sconservative strongholds, with Bush receiving 23percent and 19 percent of the votes in thosehouses, respectively.

In the ethnic breakdown of the poll results,Clinton received a higher percentage of votes fromBlack students than from any other group.

While 89 percent of Black students polled favorClinton, only six percent support Bush.

Jennifer E. Fisher '93, press secretary for theBlack Students Association, says she is notsurprised by the poll's results.

"Most Black students would vote for anyonerunning against George Bush," says Fisher.

She says Black students don't think Bush willmake enough of an effort to help Blacks throughoutthe country, as evidenced by his handling ofrelief efforts after last spring's Los Angelesriots.

"Clinton has pledged to create more jobs, helpthe inner cities and improve race relations in theUnited States. We remember that," Fisher says.

While about three-fourths of both whites andHispanics say they support Clinton, South Asiansand Asian and Pacific Islanders who were polledlean less towards the Democrat.

Only 65 percent of South Asians said they wouldvote for Clinton, and 25 percent for Bush, whileAsians and Pacific Islanders responded in a 64-20ratio.

Mona M. Patel '94, co-president of the SouthAsian Association, says the South Asian vote hastraditionally been more conservative than that ofother ethnic groups. This is especially true amongolder members of the South Asian population in theU.S., because they "have done well for themselvesafter immigrating here."

Patel says that a 65 percent endorsement amongSouth Asians at Harvard "seems a high number forClinton," but adds that she knows many liberalSouth Asian students on campus.

And, as in any ethnic group, Patel says, it ispossible that many conservative voters will crossparty lines to vote for Clinton.

Mark H. Kim '94, co-president of the AsianAmerican Association, says that it would be hardto make a general statement on the results for"Asians and Pacific Islanders" since the categorycontains such a wide variety of groups.

Kim says his organization has not discussed thepresidential candidates in its meetings.

Regardless of how the poll results are brokendown--by sex, year, house or ethnicity--Clintongets the nod from every grouping.

And that comes as no surprise to Gregory S.Chernack '94, president of Harvard-Radcliffe forClinton-Gore. "We're exactly where I thought wewould be when we signed up 700 people atregistration this fall," Chernack says.

"All along, we wanted to break 70 percent, andI think that three out of four Harvard voters forClinton is a very impressive number," he adds.

But Stephen Y. Ko '95, president of Studentsfor Bush, says that a lot of Clinton support is"soft support" that could switch in the final daysof the campaign, especially considering theclosing of the Clinton-Bush gap in recent nationalpolls.

"Things can change," Ko says. "A week is alifetime in politics."CrimsonNancy E. Greene

"I think that more than twice as many people oncampus will vote for Bush than the poll shows,"Michael says.

"So many of the Clinton-Gore people arebandwagon fans who are not going to pull the leverfor Clinton when it comes time to go to the pollbooth," Michael adds.

While Bunker says most of Clinton'sundergraduate support here is due to thetraditionally liberal makeup of the student body,he says he expects many conservative students tocross party lines this election over social issuessuch as gay rights and abortion rights.

"I think there have to be some independents andRepublicans on campus voting for Clinton," Bunkersays. "I talked to some economically conservativestudents who went to the Republican Convention andsaid they are tired of the pandering Bush has donefor the right wing."

The poll also revealed that education is one ofthe issues that Harvard students will weigh mostheavily when casting their ballots next week.

When asked if the candidates' positions onabortion, education, environment, health care andthe job market were "not important, somewhatimportant or very important" in influencing theirvotes, 75 percent of the students placed educationin the "very important" category.

Fifty-five percent said the job market is "veryimportant," while 53 percent placed the abortionissue on that level. Health care and theenvironment were rated "very important" by only 45and 43 percent of students, respectively.

Voting Trends

A breakdown of the Harvard results shows thatwhile both men and women support Clinton over Bushby similar margins, a gradual shift in votingbehavior appeared through the four class years.Results varied widely from house to house, as didthose from different campus ethnic groups.

Seventy-eight percent of undergraduate women,and 71 percent of undergraduate men, said theywould vote for the Arkansas governor.

The percentage of students voting for Clintonincreased as class years progressed, ranging from65 percent of first-years to 78 percent ofseniors. Support for Bush fell with each class,from 19 percent of first-years to 10 percent ofseniors.

Clinton's most significant support amongupperclass students was in Adams House, where theDemocrat garnered 91 percent of votes in the poll.Clinton also received high marks in Dunster andLeverett Houses.

Winthrop and Kirkland qualified as the poll'sconservative strongholds, with Bush receiving 23percent and 19 percent of the votes in thosehouses, respectively.

In the ethnic breakdown of the poll results,Clinton received a higher percentage of votes fromBlack students than from any other group.

While 89 percent of Black students polled favorClinton, only six percent support Bush.

Jennifer E. Fisher '93, press secretary for theBlack Students Association, says she is notsurprised by the poll's results.

"Most Black students would vote for anyonerunning against George Bush," says Fisher.

She says Black students don't think Bush willmake enough of an effort to help Blacks throughoutthe country, as evidenced by his handling ofrelief efforts after last spring's Los Angelesriots.

"Clinton has pledged to create more jobs, helpthe inner cities and improve race relations in theUnited States. We remember that," Fisher says.

While about three-fourths of both whites andHispanics say they support Clinton, South Asiansand Asian and Pacific Islanders who were polledlean less towards the Democrat.

Only 65 percent of South Asians said they wouldvote for Clinton, and 25 percent for Bush, whileAsians and Pacific Islanders responded in a 64-20ratio.

Mona M. Patel '94, co-president of the SouthAsian Association, says the South Asian vote hastraditionally been more conservative than that ofother ethnic groups. This is especially true amongolder members of the South Asian population in theU.S., because they "have done well for themselvesafter immigrating here."

Patel says that a 65 percent endorsement amongSouth Asians at Harvard "seems a high number forClinton," but adds that she knows many liberalSouth Asian students on campus.

And, as in any ethnic group, Patel says, it ispossible that many conservative voters will crossparty lines to vote for Clinton.

Mark H. Kim '94, co-president of the AsianAmerican Association, says that it would be hardto make a general statement on the results for"Asians and Pacific Islanders" since the categorycontains such a wide variety of groups.

Kim says his organization has not discussed thepresidential candidates in its meetings.

Regardless of how the poll results are brokendown--by sex, year, house or ethnicity--Clintongets the nod from every grouping.

And that comes as no surprise to Gregory S.Chernack '94, president of Harvard-Radcliffe forClinton-Gore. "We're exactly where I thought wewould be when we signed up 700 people atregistration this fall," Chernack says.

"All along, we wanted to break 70 percent, andI think that three out of four Harvard voters forClinton is a very impressive number," he adds.

But Stephen Y. Ko '95, president of Studentsfor Bush, says that a lot of Clinton support is"soft support" that could switch in the final daysof the campaign, especially considering theclosing of the Clinton-Bush gap in recent nationalpolls.

"Things can change," Ko says. "A week is alifetime in politics."CrimsonNancy E. Greene