Herald Correspondent
news@adaherald.com
Polling numbers can, indeed, be subjective.
In
the last edition, there was a story about ONU Professor of Economics
David McClough’s class, in regard to polling data they were analyzing in
regard to Campaign 2024. (Exactly 319 students were polled for the
study.)
The last article looked at top tier presidential
candidates and some issue priorities. And the analysis around the
numbers was not only telling, but detailed.
Yet there is more…
Take, for instance, the vice-presidential candidate. Some 69% of students polled saw this as an important factor.
What’s
more, outside the data numbers on this, Professor McClough notes that a
good number of students in the class “…express concern that the current
VP (Kamala Harris) is not prepared to deal with Putin, China, the
economy, etc.”
And the professor added: “This (VP readiness) is a national discussion as well, so it appears.”
Another
factor, which has also been part of the ‘national discussion’ of late,
has been “candidate age. President Joe Biden is currently 80-years-old,
former President Donald Trump is currently 76-years-old. If elected to a
second term, Biden will be the oldest president to be sworn in, ever.
Class polling data showed 56% of students indicate age is “an important issue.”
Professor
McCluogh added: “The news (polling here) pounds home the age of Mr.
Biden, which is likely the point of contact for the question.”
What’s
more, the report explained that candidate age may, indeed, have a
bearing on how the candidate responds to such issues as: nuclear war,
immigration, corruption, and abortion. However, Professor McClough
continued that “interpretation is speculative (in regard to the
latter).”
The sample pool of ONU students came from a mix of undergraduate and law students.
In
addition, Professor McClough points out in the report that “economic
conditions” are statistically ahead of all other issues. And the
professor expresses a modicum of surprise “…because geopolitical
tensions are more front and center in the news than in recent years.”
Conversely,
global warming and social justice are on the bottom of the list of
issues for this sample pool of students, the professor also noted.