Instead of losing interest in the election’s 24-hour coverage on TV and radio, it turns out that young voters are more interested in politics now than they were a few months ago.
The Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) found that the percentage of young voters, aged 18 to 29, paying attention to the election has risen from 56.1 percent to 70 percent.
The expected youth voter turnout has also risen 9.9 percent for voters who described themselves as “extremely likely” to vote, according to CIRCLE.
With a 52 percent approval rating, President Obama is currently favored over Mitt Romney, who has a 35 percent approval rating among young voters, according to CIRCLE.
For some students, like undeclared sophomore Chloe Zomorodi, Obama is a clear choice for president.
“I decided to vote for Obama because I feel he has a strong economic plan,” Zomorodi said. “I feel he’s done a decent job at digging us out of the hole during his first [term].”
However, while support for Obama has risen across the young demographic, some students are opting to vote for a third party candidate.
“I’m leaning towards Roseanne Barr [from the Peace and Freedom Party] because I’m dissatisfied with the two-party system,” junior music major Sean Adamiak said. “I’ve been disappointed with Obama … and think Barr’s platform may be a breath of fresh air in politics.”
According to CIRCLE’s website, the number of young voters supporting third party candidates like Barr has risen to 4 percent since July.
Mitt Romney, whose approval ratings have dropped from 36.9 percent to 35.1 percent, still has youth support, according to CIRCLE’s website.
For some students, like sophomore mechanical engineering major Jakob Brouwer, Romney is the solution for many of the nation’s problems.
“It’s definitely a tough decision, but I would like to give a different president … a chance to [change] our country,” Brouwer said. “The Democrats had four years and no drastic improvements have occurred.”
When asked whether Obama understands the problems that youth voters have, nearly 50 percent said ‘yes’ compared to Romney’s approximately 15 percent, according to CIRCLE.
When asked whether Obama can help improve the economy, about 35 percent said ‘yes’ compared to Romney’s approximate 30 percent, according to CIRCLE’s website.
“I think someone new deserves an opportunity to make things better,” Brouwer said.