Support for impeachment is swelling across political silos and demographic brackets. Perhaps the most emphatic flash sign comes with the college demographic. According to the latest Axios/College Reaction poll, 76% of college students support an impeachment inquiry. That number has soared from just 52% in late May.
Homing in on support for impeachment across parties italicizes the upward trend. In our latest polling, here's how each party comes down on an impeachment inquiry:
Student support for impeachment (by party)
• Democrats: 97% of Democratic students approve of the impeachment inquiry of President Trump.
• GOP: 22% of Republican students approve of impeachment inquiry.
• Independents: 76% of Independent students approve of impeachment inquiry.
But the story comes into starker relief when we compare this week's numbers to late May.
College students - May vs. October
May 28th October 8th Net +/-
Dems 71% 97% +26
Independents 44% 76% +32%
GOP 16% 22% +6%
The biggest movement is among Independents, who now support impeachment as much as Democrats did 3 months ago. Democratic students have shifted to a near-unanimous chorus in support of impeachment. And while Republican students don't support the inquiry at comparable rates, even their support has ticked up 6 percentage-points.
Here's how students' support for impeachment fits with the broader public, as defined by 538's impeachment support model:
College students vs. General Public
Students General public
Dems 97% 84%
Independents 76% 45%
GOP 22% 14%
As the party sub-currents swirl and ultimately settle, we'll understand how likely impeachment (and possible removal) actually is. The number to watch will be what percentage of Republicans and Independents across age brackets convert gentle apprehension into active support for impeachment.
Key findings:
Axios/College Reaction Poll | October 8th-10th | n=850 | m.o.e: +/- 3.3%
• 76% of college students approve of impeachment of President Trump
• 22% of Republican students approve of impeachment of President Trump
• 76% of Independent students approve of impeachment of President Trump
• 97% of Democratic students approve of impeachment of President Trump
Methodology: Data in this report are generated from a poll conducted between October 8th-10th, 2019. A total of 850 panelists participated in the poll. The margin of error for the full sample is +/- 3.3 points. methodology:Data in this report are generated from a poll conducted between October 8th-10th, 2019. Atotal of 850 panelists participated in the poll. The margin of error for the full sample is +/- 3.3points.
College Reaction’s polling is conducted using a demographically-representative panel of college students from around the country. The surveys are administered digitally and use college e-mail address as an authentication tool to ensure current enrollment in a four-year institution. The target population for the general population sample was students currently enrolled in accredited 4-year institutions in the US.
Respondents in this poll were randomly selected from a respondent database, which aims to mirror the broader college demographic from a racial, geographic and political standpoint. Results are weighted to mirror race and gender statistics of the college demographic as defined by the National Center for Education statistics.