Young Voters Flock to Nader, Present a Challenge to Both Bush and Kerry

Strategic Insights -

Ralph Nader's celebrity status among young voters is significant, with a recent GENext poll showing he draws twice the support among voters aged 18-29 as he does in a comparable poll of all registered voters. This could potentially pose a challenge to both President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry, as young voters are a crucial demographic in the upcoming election. According to the GENext poll, 12% of young voters support Nader, while 38% support Bush and 47% support Kerry.

Key Takeaways:

  • Ralph Nader draws twice the support among voters aged 18-29 as he does in a comparable poll of all registered voters, with 12% support from young voters compared to 6% from registered voters of all ages.
  • President George W. Bush's support among young voters remains steady, with 38% of 18-29 year olds saying they would likely vote for him in a hypothetical election.
  • Sen. John Kerry's support among young voters has dropped significantly, from 56% to 47%, with Nader cited as a key reason for the decline.
  • Only 44% of young voters approve of President George W. Bush's performance in office, while 54% disapprove.
  • Young voters are largely uninterested in the debates over decency standards on broadcast television and radio, with only 17% saying nudity offends them a great deal and 15% saying they are very disturbed by sexual situations.
  • A plurality of young voters (47%) thinks the unemployment rate will stay the same in the next six months, with 28% thinking it will go up and 24% thinking it will go down.
  • Young voters are skeptical about giving the pulpit greater prominence in political decision making, with only 22% thinking politically-active religious groups have too little influence and 31% thinking they have too much influence.

Statistics:

  • 12% of young voters support Ralph Nader (GENext poll)
  • 38% of young voters support President George W. Bush (GENext poll)
  • 47% of young voters support Sen. John Kerry (GENext poll)
  • 44% of young voters approve of President George W. Bush's performance in office (GENext poll)
  • 54% of young voters disapprove of President George W. Bush's performance in office (GENext poll)
  • 17% of young voters are bothered a great deal by nudity (GENext poll)
  • 15% of young voters are very disturbed by sexual situations (GENext poll)
  • 47% of young voters think the unemployment rate will stay the same in the next six months (GENext poll)
  • 28% of young voters think the unemployment rate will go up in the next six months (GENext poll)
  • 24% of young voters think the unemployment rate will go down in the next six months (GENext poll)

Sources:

  • GENext poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs from March 1 to March 17 (354 registered voters aged 18-29, margin of error: plus or minus 5.1 percentage points)
  • AP/Ipsos poll conducted March 1-3 on 771 registered voters (margin of error: plus or minus 3.5 percentage points)