Harvard poll of young voters: They don't know or care much about Gaza

Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics recently released its Spring 2024 poll of young voters 18 to 29 years old and offered some surprising findings regarding the 2024 election and how young people view the Israel-Hamas conflict.Of the 16 issues polled, “Israel/Palestine” ranked as the 15th most important compared to the others – only viewed as more important than student debt.

Inflation, Healthcare, Housing, Gun Violence, and Jobs ranked as the top five most important issues – in that order. “The only issue time that inflation did not win its individual match-up was when it was paired with women’s reproductive rights. Women’s reproductive rights was considered the more important issue, 57% to 43%,” noted the poll.

In terms of how Israel has prosecuted its war against Hamas, a plurality was unsure whether or not Israel had “gone too far.”

“When young Americans are asked whether or not they believe Israel’s response so far to the October 7 attack by Hamas has been justified, a plurality indicates that they don’t know (45%). About a fifth (21%) report that Israel’s response was justified with 32% believing it was not justified.

The poll found that Biden’s approval rating among young voters was at 31 percent overall. On the Israel-Hamas conflict, Biden landed at a dismal 18 percent approval and at 30 percent on the economy in general. Biden still leads Trump by 8 points among all young Americans and 19 points among those who are likely voters, which is down from 30 points at the same time in 2020.