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Politics : The American Spirit Vs. The Rightwing -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Patricia Trinchero who wrote (1727)	10/21/2004 5:18:12 PM
From: American Spirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1904

Most College Students Favor Kerry -Harvard Poll 46 minutes ago Politics - Reuters By Svea Herbst-Bayliss BOSTON (Reuters) - The majority of U.S. college students favor Democratic challenger John Kerry (news - web sites) over President Bush (news - web sites), according to a Harvard University poll released on Thursday that sees a dramatic rise in campus voter turnout. Just weeks before the Nov. 2 election, researchers at Harvard's Institute of Politics found that 52 percent of all students want the Massachusetts senator elected president, 39 percent support Bush, and 8 percent are undecided. In 14 hotly contested swing states, the poll shows Kerry leading Bush by 17 points among students. The data suggest more students are leaning toward Kerry than six months ago, when Harvard last surveyed them. That poll, released in April, found Kerry leading Bush by 48-38 percent with 11 percent undecided. Independent candidate Ralph Nader (news - web sites) received 1 percent support in this poll, down from 5 percent in April. "Kerry had a lead in April, but it was a soft lead, and now students seem to know him better and are aligned with him on issues like the economy, the war in Iraq (news - web sites) and terrorism," said David King, the institute's director of research. Forty-five percent of the students polled feel the country is headed in the wrong direction. Forty-one percent feel it is headed in the right direction. Students feel Kerry, criticized in the past as aloof and failing to take a firm stand on issues, leads Bush in understanding what matters most to them. Kerry also edges Bush 49 percent to 42 percent on which candidate is better qualified to be president, the poll said. HEAVY CAMPUS TURNOUT SEEN The poll also found 84 percent of college students plan to cast a ballot, as both candidates woo young voters. "The tide has changed from apathy to engagement and excitement," King said. "Students are no longer just watching politics on the West Wing," he said referring to the popular U.S. television show. Even as researchers predicted a surge in turnout among college students, they cautioned that many who say they will vote will not show up on Election Day. Still, they expect over half of all college voters to go to the ballot box, up from 42 percent who voted four years ago. "There are over nine million college students in America, and their vote will matter this year -- especially in swing states," Institute Director Philip Sharp said in a statement. "Neither campaign can afford to ignore them." While Kerry led Bush in overall support, Bush was viewed as the stronger leader by 49-36 percent. Bush also outpaced Kerry by 57-27 percent on which candidate takes a clear stand on the issues. "The poll shows Bush is a strong leader but also shows they do not want to be led where he's going," King said. The poll was based on interviews with 1,202 people chosen at random from a database of nearly 5.1 million students across the country. Conducted between Oct. 7-13, it has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.8 percent. A Reuters/Zogby three-day tracking poll released on Thursday showed Bush edging Kerry 46-45 percent, a statistical dead heat.