New Poll Shows President Biden Losing Support from Crucial Demographic Ahead of Election

President Biden, younger voters, national poll, support, Trump, Democratic base, NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National Poll, presidential election, Gen Z, millennials

A new national poll highlights President Biden’s challenge in garnering support from a crucial voting bloc within the Democratic Party’s base – younger voters.

President Biden struggles with younger voters in his rematch against former President Trump. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon | Curtis Means/DailyMail.com via AP, Pool)

According to the NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist National Poll released on Thursday, President Biden stands at 50%, and former President Trump, his GOP challenger, is 48% among registered voters. Among likely voters, the margin narrows to one point, with Biden at 50% and Trump at 49%.

In a multi-candidate scenario, the survey indicates Trump leading Biden at 44%-40%, with Democrat-turned-independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. at 8%, Green Party candidate Jill Stein at 3%, and independent Cornel West at 2%.

President Biden speaks at the Washoe Democratic Party Office in Reno, Nevada, on March 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

One factor contributing to Biden’s close contest with Trump is waning support among younger voters. Four years ago, he won by over 20 percentage points among them. The survey shows Biden leading Trump by only four points among voters under 45 and six points among those aged 18-29.

Former President Trump speaks during a campaign event in Wildwood, New Jersey, on May 11, 2024. (Hannah Beier/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, noted that younger voters are concerned about the cost of living and see economic challenges ahead. This perception contributes to their disconnect with Biden’s administration.

Recent polls indicate rising support for Trump among the nation’s youngest voters. In a Harvard Youth Poll released last month, Biden led Trump by only eight points among voters ages 18 to 29, significantly smaller than his 23-point lead over Trump at the same point four years ago.

The Biden campaign launched Students for Biden-Harris in March, aiming to build a large volunteer base of younger supporters. Biden, endorsed by 15 groups of Gen Z and millennial voters, continues to engage with younger demographics as part of his outreach efforts.

The Marist Poll for NPR and PBS NewsHour was conducted from May 21-23, surveying 1,122 registered voters nationwide with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points. Despite Biden’s efforts, less than a quarter of younger voters approve of his job as president, posing a challenge for his reelection campaign.

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