A large majority of students reported feeling that they have some say in what the government does and that they actively care about who wins the presidency.
The poll also found that 28 percent of respondents use humourous news sources such as “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” to get campaign information, which is one percent more than turn to online newspapers or magazines. Eighteen percent check internet blogs.
The poll, conducted and analyzed by Schneiders/Della Volpe/Schulman, surveyed 1,202 students, with an overall margin of error of 2.8 percent.
The firm attempted to contact students who use mainly cell phones by purchasing a list of 5.2 million students’ contact information from a third party. Many pollsters have criticized some national polls for failing to adequately account for cell-phone voters.
According to King, the IOP survey group conducts polls every six months, but will perform another one immediately after the election to assess issues such as absentee ballots.
—Staff writer Monica M. Clark can be reached at mclark@fas.harvard.edu.