Editor’s note: Polling data and reporting came from an SMU news reporting class.
Students at SMU expressed their opinions on the upcoming presidential election between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Students’ political affiliation became clear after the polls showed that 69 percent of the students interviewed plan to vote for Trump.
From Oct. 26-29, 14 students in a journalism news reporting class at SMU conducted a poll on the election. These interviews aimed to measure the political attitudes of students on campus, most of whom are first-time voters.
In total, 142 people out of the 166 who were interviewed said they are voting in this election. 98 students are voting for Trump, 41 for Harris, one for RFK Jr., and two were undecided. Besides four graduate students, the rest of these students are undergraduates.
Out of the 166 people polled, 110 were female and 56 were males. 23 are Hispanic, 16 are Asian, and 11 are Black.
The informal poll was conducted in a variety of locations including Fondren Library, Hughes-Trigg Student Center, Cox Business School, and Dallas Hall lawn. It included students from 29 states and more than 35 majors, such as fashion media, business, political science, advertising, and psychology.
Overall, students showed strong opinions and excitement to get out and vote, as many feel like this election is especially impactful.
“This election is extra important because it is not only about policies, but the future of our democracy and human rights as a whole,” Isabella Popo, a journalism student from Arizona said.
Though the majority of students said they are voting for Trump, many reported that they don’t align with his character. However, students are more concerned about the issues of the economy, reproductive rights, and immigration.
When asked why he is voting for Trump, a 20-year-old male from Texas said, “It’s about the economy. His morals? Yeah, they’re questionable. Maybe. But I don’t care.”
Carrington Miller, a sophomore from Virginia, also said that she is most concerned about the economy, specifically the issues of inflation and taxes.
“I don’t stand for a lot of Trump’s decisions, but I don’t like a lot of Kamala’s policies,” she said.
A female economics major from Texas explained why she is voting for Trump.
“He is respected by other world leaders. He will do things to restore our world and economy. We have an issue with migrants and safety. Energy is a huge thing. I hate Kamala’s energy policies,” she said.
Many supporters of Harris mentioned reproductive rights as their main concern. There was also an emphasis on their disagreement with Trump’s character.
Claire Wooley, an Asian female studying applied mathematics and economics, said that the topics of abortion and women’s rights were most important to her. When asked why she is voting for Kamala, she joked, “Women support women. No, because she isn’t a convicted felon.”
Another student studying human right and political science said she changed her mind on who she wants to vote for mid-way through the presidential debate. She said, “You can see in the most recent presidential debate how Donald Trump got agitated really quickly, really fast. I don’t want to see a president get that emotional over a simple debate.”
An Asian female from Texas also commented on Trump’s character. She said, “From what I’ve seen on social media, it shows that Donald Trump is not suitable. He already served his presidential term and it was alright. Just the stuff he says is not valid. It’s rude, disrespectful, and I don’t think I want that this year.”
