IOP Poll Results Released

Poll results released yesterday by the Institute of Politics revealed that President Obama’s approval rating among young adults now stands at 55 percent, after over a year of falling approval ratings.

The results are part of a national poll of people aged 18 to 29 that the IOP conducts twice a year.

The survey, entitled "Survey of Young Americans’ Attitudes Towards Politics and Public Service," included 3,018 Americans and explored a wide range of issues including degree of political engagement, trust in government institutions, political ideology, and engagement with social media.

Rising support for President Obama did not mean, however, that young Americans were increasingly optimistic about the state of the country or the future.

The economy is a particular area of concern, as 43 percent of those surveyed described their own financial situation as "very bad" or "fairly bad." Additionally, 82 percent of young adults said it would be "difficult" to find a permanent job coming out of college.

Looking outside of their personal finances, young adults were pessimistic about the United States’ future position in the world. More respondents said that they thought the nation’s diplomatic and economic situation would worsen than those who said they were optimistic about the future.

John Della Volpe, director of polling for the IOP, said he attributed the difference between the President’s overall approval rating and overwhelming dissatisfaction on specific issues to the "trust relationship" he has developed with the American people.

"People are beginning to rate the President more favorably on the likeability factor than by looking at his issues on a case by case basis," Della Volpe said.

Despite their support for the President, survey participants demonstrated little trust in government institutions, with respondents saying they trusted Congress to do the right thing only 23 percent of the time.

C. M. Trey Grayson ’94, the director of the IOP, said that the survey’s data is particularly important because young voters are a significant demographic in the 2012 presidential election.

The poll provided insight into the ways young adults prefer to receive information and become involved with political candidates, which could be helpful in upcoming campaigns, Grayson said. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said that using social media like Facebook, Twitter, or YouTube to support a political cause was more efficient than in-person advocacy. Additionally, after traditional news sources, the next most popular way of receiving information about current events was through friends’ Facebook statuses, followed by the Facebook feeds of official organizations.

"What’s been proven in 2008 and in the events in the Middle East of late is that young adults can make the difference when inspired," said Della Volpe in a press release. "And before inspiration happens, it’s important to understand how Millennials communicate—providing this perspective is what we aim to do every semester with our national research project."

—Staff writer Monica M. Dodge can be reached at mdodge@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Monica M. Dodge can be reached at mdodge@college.harvard.edu.