College Students, Voting and the COVID-19 Election

Knight commissioned College Pulse to undertake a national poll of college student views on voting and the 2020 election, to gage their responses to voting during these unprecedented and uncertain times. Conducted from August 9 to 12, 2020, findings from “College Students, Voting and the COVID-19 Election” represent a sample of 4,000 full-time students currently enrolled in four-year degree programs surveyed via the College Pulse mobile app and web portal, and weighted to be nationally representative.

Key Highlights Include

• Most students—led by college women and Democrats—say they are “absolutely certain” they will vote this year.
• Students are likely to doubt the results of the presidential election
• Students plan to vote for Joe Biden by a wide margin, but enthusiasm is low for both major candidates and their parties.
• Students lack confidence in the legitimacy of the 2020 election.