Gen Z Voters Want More From Biden in 2024

President Joe Biden’s unprecedented actions to erase student-loan debt have fallen flat with the young voters in swing states he needs to win reelection, according to the latest Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll.
The disconnect illustrates one of the core challenges of Biden’s campaign for a second term: He struggles to get credit from voters for policies intended to motivate them.
That’s left him trailing former President Donald Trump in a head-to-head matchup in each of the seven states in the poll — the first time the poll has shown Biden behind across the board.
Biden is not reaching Gen Z swing-state voters with his plan to cancel student-loan debt
A plurality of swing-state Generation Z voters — those born in 1997 or later — say Biden is not doing enough to address the burden of student loan payments, even after he has erased $127 billion in such debt in initiatives that are widely thought to be aimed at locking in that key demographic. A majority of this group approves of the relief his administration has already provided to borrowers — but they were also less likely to have heard about the debt cancellation than older voters.
Based on what you know, is President Joe Biden doing too much, too little, or is he doing the right amount for addressing student loans?
Based on what you know, do you support or oppose the Biden administration’s decision to cancel $127 billion in student loans?
Share of Gen Z and all respondents who said “strongly support” or “somewhat support”
How much have you seen, read or heard about the Biden administration’s decision to cancel $127 billion in student loans?
Share of Gen Z and all respondents who said “not much” or “not at all”
Note: Poll conducted of 4,935 registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, conducted online Nov. 27 to Dec. 6. The margin of error is plus or minus 1 percentage point across the seven states. Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Source: Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll
Trump now leads Biden across all seven swing states
Eleven months before the election, Trump is leading Biden by 5 percentage points among registered voters in a head-to-head matchup across seven swing states. Trump’s lead is inside the margin of error in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, but is larger in Georgia and North Carolina. The poll had a margin of error of 1 percentage point for all seven states combined and between 3 and 5 percentage points for individual states.
Read more: Trump Pulls Ahead in Michigan as Union, Women Voters Sour on Biden
Biden “is making no gains among groups he is going to need to pull off a victory next year,” said Eli Yokley, US politics analyst at Morning Consult.
If the November 2024 election for US president were being held today, and Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump were on the ballot, for whom would you vote?
Note: Poll conducted of 4,935 registered voters online, Nov. 27 to Dec. 6. The margin of error is plus or minus 1 percentage point across the seven states; 3 percentage points in Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania; 4 percentage points in Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin; and 5 percentage points in Nevada.
Source: Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll
Biden still leads Trump with Generation Z voters overall, 44% to 38%, but the battleground-state poll shows Biden is in a bind campaigning on his student loan moves. While a plurality of younger voters say he has done too little, a plurality of Generation X and baby boomer voters say he has already done too much.
Meanwhile, much of the student-loan forgiveness has gone to middle-aged borrowers with a longer payment history, making it harder to convince young voters that the policy has helped them.
The poll shows Biden faces hurdles with his wider coalition. Swing-state Democrats are increasingly dissatisfied with their president, with 23% of those who voted for Biden in 2020 saying they have an unfavorable view of him today, compared to 17% of 2020 Trump voters who have soured on the former president.
“Instead of worrying about polls a year out, our campaign is focused on earning every vote and highlighting the stakes between the extreme MAGA agenda and President Biden’s popular agenda that has delivered for young people, and Americans of all ages,” said Daniel Wessel, a Biden campaign spokesman, in a statement.
In a sign of their displeasure, a surprising share of swing-state voters in Biden’s own party — roughly one in five — said they support House Republicans’ effort to launch an impeachment investigation into him. Democrats in Washington have said such a probe lacks evidence and is without merit. The House voted late Wednesday to formalize an impeachment inquiry into Biden that is centered on his family’s finances and business dealings.
Swing-state voters keep faith in Trump to handle the economy
When it comes to the issue that voters say will be most important at the ballot box, the economy, Biden continues to lag Trump. Overwhelmingly, voters trust Trump more to handle a wide range of pocketbook issues, including housing, interest rates, inflation and balancing the US budget.
Among swing-state Generation Z voters, nearly a third say they trust neither Biden nor Trump to handle the economy. In another key demographic group, Black voters, trust in Biden on this issue has dipped from October — the month of the first Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll.
Who do you trust more to handle the economy?
Share of respondents by state, age and race, who said:
Note: Poll conducted of 4,935 registered voters online, Nov. 27 to Dec. 6. The margin of error is plus or minus 1 percentage point across the seven states; 3 percentage points in Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania; 4 percentage points in Michigan, North Carolina and Wisconsin; and 5 percentage points in Nevada. Data from October and November are from prior installments of the Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll.
Source: Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll
Still, there were hints in the findings that momentum on this issue could change in Biden’s favor.
Swing-state voters had more favorable views of their local economies than of the national one — a potential indication that they are seeing strengthening conditions at home. Compared to the prior month’s poll, a smaller share of voters said prices have increased for everyday goods. That decline is consistent with other surveys that show a retreat in inflation worries.
In the past month, would you say the prices you pay for everyday goods (e.g., groceries, clothing, household items, etc.) have increased or decreased, or have they remained stable?
Share of respondents, by gender, who said “increased”
Note: Poll conducted of 4,935 registered voters online, Nov. 27 to Dec. 6. The margin of error is plus or minus 1 percentage point across the seven states. Data from October and November are from prior installments of the Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll.
Source: Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll
While a rematch between Trump and Biden would be sure to have similarities to their 2020 contest, third-party candidates could make a splash.
Some 13% of swing-state voters said they were “very likely” to consider supporting a candidate from a new political party, a scenario that could peel off both Republican and Democratic voters.
How likely are you, if at all, to consider voting for a presidential candidate from a new political party that is an alternative to the Republican Party or the Democratic Party?
Share of respondents, by generation and race, who said:
Note: Poll conducted of 4,935 registered voters online, Nov. 27 to Dec. 6. The margin of error is plus or minus 1 percentage point across the seven states. Totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.
Source: Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll
Trump’s lead over Biden widens to 7 points in battleground states when declared third-party and independent candidates are thrown into the mix. Former Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has 9% support from swing-state voters for his independent bid, and no other candidate received more than 2% support.
“There is a good chunk of the electorate right now who is eyeing some of these alternative candidates and that is due to the fact that there are two very unpopular people facing off for the White House next year,” said Yokley, the Morning Consult analyst. “At this point, those dynamics are working in Donald Trump’s favor.”
Related: The Big Take Podcast
Methodology
The Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll surveyed 4,935 registered voters in seven swing states: 796 registered voters in Arizona, 801 in Georgia, 703 in Michigan, 451 in Nevada, 704 in North Carolina, 799 in Pennsylvania and 681 in Wisconsin. The surveys were conducted online from Nov. 27 to Dec. 6, and the aggregated data across the seven swing states were weighted to approximate a target sample of swing state registered voters based on gender, age, race/ethnicity, marital status, home ownership, 2020 presidential vote and state. State-level data were weighted to approximate a target sample of registered voters in the respective state based on gender, age, race/ethnicity, marital status, home ownership, and 2020 presidential vote. The margin of error is plus or minus 1 percentage point across the seven states; 3 percentage points in Arizona, Georgia and Pennsylvania; 4 percentage points in Michigan, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, and 5 percentage points in Nevada.
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