A survey of over 700 Towson University students indicates nearly two-thirds of the campus supports John Kerry.
The Towerlight polled 705 undergraduates during a 48-hour period beginning Monday, Oct. 25, discovering strong support for the Democratic nominee among all years and majors.
Of those surveyed, 63.7 percent intend to vote for Sen. Kerry, while 33.8 percent intend to vote for President George W. Bush. Ralph Nader received 1.5 percent of the votes.
The poll suggests the majority of TU students are registered and ready to vote Tuesday. Education, the Iraq war, health care and jobs were the most important issues cited by respondents.
Thirty Towerlight representatives polled students at more than 20 locations on campus.
A small, but notable minority of respondents said they intend to vote, but have not decided whom to vote for. Thirty-one of the “undecided” voters were Democrats. Ten Republicans and 13 Independents also said they had not decided who to vote for.
Kerry received support from the majority of freshmen, sophomores, juniors and seniors who completed the survey.
Older students tended to support Kerry in higher numbers. Among students who intend to vote, 41.5 percent of freshmen support Bush, while only 29.4 percent of seniors do.
Patrick Gonzales, the president for the Annapolis-based polling firm Gonzales Research, said the poll’s random methodology would have accurately sampled the opinions on the campus.
“I guarantee, [the poll] was dead-on with reflecting the student body,” he said. “I would suspect that the numbers are pretty accurate.”
Almost 100 respondents wrote comments in a box on the survey form. The majority of the comments were opposed to Bush.
“This country resides in a state of perpetual fear and therefore will probably vote for Bush – this is a great shame for the future,” an international student wrote.
“Bush’s policies and convictions frighten me,” another person said.
Supporters of the incumbent expressed fear about Kerry, as well.
“Kerry is a weasel,” one respondent said. “Bush knows what he is doing,” another supporter wrote.
“This is a choice of the lesser of two evils,” a Kerry supporter wrote. But in the words of one student, “It’s our right & responsibility as Americans to vote, no matter who the candidate.”
Of the respondents who have registered with a political party, 50 percent were Democrats, 32 percent were Republicans and 17 percent were independent. Of the 705 respondents, 99 said they were not registered, and 22 respondents said they were registered but do not plan to vote.
Among Democrats, 12 intend to vote for Bush. Among Republicans, 16 intend to vote for Kerry.
Among independents, Kerry was the prevailing candidate: 16 intend to vote for Bush, while 55 intend to vote for Kerry.
Some of the students surveyed said they had already mailed in absentee ballots.
Respondents were shown an alphabetically-ordered list of 10 campaign issues and asked to select the three “most important.”
Education was, by far, the most frequently cited issue among students. It was selected by 399 respondents. The Iraq war was second, with 279 respondents selecting it. The war on terror came in third, with 242 respondents.
Only three respondents listed “what candidates did during Vietnam War” in the top three, despite the intense coverage of the issue by the media.
Several respondents said the Iraq war and the war on terror are two completely separate issues, while others said they should have been listed together. Other respondents said the economy, immigration and women’s rights should have been included.
Kerry received a total of 338 votes, while Bush received 180. Green Party candidate Ralph Nader received eight votes. Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarick and Republican Sen. John McCain received one vote each. One student wrote in Boston Red Sox catcher Jason Varitek, while another wrote in Homer Simpson.
The Towerlight’s polling reflects statewide attitudes regarding the presidential race.
A poll of 602 registered Maryland voters, conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs last Monday and Tuesday, showed Kerry leading Bush in the state by 56 percent to 39 percent. Ralph Nader received one percent of the vote, and three percent were undecided. A Gonzales Research poll conducted the first week of October showed a 10-point lead for Kerry in Maryland.
The Towerlight last surveyed the campus in 1988. The majority of the campus supported George H. W. Bush.
Most Important Issues
Each respondent was asked to choose three.
Education: 399
Iraq War: 279
War on Terror: 242
Health Care: 210
Environment: 147
Jobs: 145
Tax Cuts: 131
Gay Rights: 85
Judicial Appointments: 32
Poll Methodology
Towerlight staff members, primarily news assistant Mike Fila, developed the survey. The staff solicited feedback from professors Jim Roberts and Richard Vatz. General manager Mike Raymond coordinated the polling process and recorded the responses.
The survey was distributed to random students at more than 20 locations across campus. According to the demographic data collected, the students surveyed are a representative sample of the campus.
Seven hundred twenty-seven students, faculty, and staff members completed the survey.
Two hundred four freshmen, 125 sophomores, 201 juniors and 164 seniors completed the survey, in addition to four graduate students, 12 faculty members and six staff members. Eleven people did not identify their class status, but indicated majors that classified them as undergraduates.
Graduate students, faculty, and staff did not respond to the poll in sufficient numbers to be considered a representative sample. Therefore, their responses were not included in the final results.
Four hundred twenty-one females and 277 males were polled. The campus is composed of 62 percent females and 38 percent males; the survey was a 61 to 39 percent split.
Respondents were asked to list their major, if applicable. The top majors were business, psychology, mass communication, and biology, paralleling the top majors on campus. Some respondents did not answer every question, therefore some totals do not add up to 705.
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