Younger People Prefer Donald Trump to Joe Biden, Poll Shows

Donald Trump is substantially more popular with voters between the ages of 18 and 34 in Michigan than Joe Biden, according to a new survey.

The Quinnipiac University poll of 1,487 registered voters in the state found just 28 percent of those 18-34 have a favorable view of Biden against 62 percent who view the president unfavorably, giving him a net approval of -34. By contrast, 39 percent in this age group have a favorable view of Trump versus 53 percent who are unfavorable, producing a net approval of -14. Polling was conducted by telephone between March 8 and 12.

The survey is a significant blow to Biden as he won Michigan in the 2020 presidential election with young voters forming a key part of his electoral coalition nationwide. Earlier this week, both Biden and Trump secured a number of primary victories establishing themselves as the presumptive presidential candidates of their respective parties.

In more bad news for Biden, the Quinnipiac University poll also found Trump is on track for victory in Michigan, a crucial swing state, including among voters aged 18-34.

Overall, when asked, "If the election for president were being held today, and the candidates were Joe Biden, the Democrat, and Donald Trump, the Republican, for whom would you vote?" 48 percent replied Trump against 45 percent for Biden. Among 18-34 voters Trump had 48 percent support against 43 percent for Biden.

Notably, the only age group Biden has a lead with is those aged 65 and over, where he has 57 percent support against 38 percent for Trump. This represents a stark turnaround from the 2020 election when, according to a Pew Research study based on validated voters, Biden defeated Trump by a 24-point margin among those aged 18-29.

Newsweek reached out to representatives of Donald Trump and Joe Biden's presidential campaigns and the White House press office via email for comment.

The results echo a poll released by Fox News on March 3, which found Trump has a lead among voters aged 18-29 nationwide. Among this age group, 51 percent said they planned to vote for Trump in November against 45 percent for Biden, with the remainder unsure or backing another candidate. This survey of 1,262 registered voters was conducted between February 25 and 28.

By contrast, an exit poll conducted by Fox News after the 2020 presidential election found that 61 percent of voters aged 18-29 had voted for Biden, against only 36 percent for Trump.

Speaking to Newsweek previously, Michael Tyler, the Biden-Harris 2024 communications director, claimed polling "consistently overestimates Donald Trump while underestimating President Biden."

"Whether it's in special elections or in the presidential primaries, actual voter behavior tells us a lot more than any poll does and it tells a very clear story: Joe Biden and Democrats continue to outperform while Donald Trump and the party he leads are weak, cash-strapped, and deeply divided," Tyler said.

Biden has come under particular pressure from younger voters over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. On October 7, Hamas launched a surprise attack on southern Israel killing 1,200 people and taking several hundred more as hostages. Israel hit back with a military campaign that has killed more than 31,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to the Associated Press, citing the Gaza Health Ministry.

A New York Times/Siena College poll published in December found 75 percent of those aged 18-19 disapproved of Biden's response to the war, in which he has strongly backed Israel and facilitated the vetoing of several resolutions calling for a ceasefire at the United Nations.

Among the 18-29 age group, the survey found that 27 percent of Americans sympathized with Israel, while 47 percent sympathized with the Palestinians.