Pie chart showing how many students voted for a certain candidate out of 235 survey responses.
The Clarion surveyed about 10% of the Bethel University student body to see which candidates they were voting for. About 59% of students said they will vote for Trump-Vance, while about 25% of students said they will vote for Harris-Walz. 2% will vote for a third-party candidate. 12% will not vote for anybody.
In 2020, the Clarion found that Bethel students were more evenly split. It anonymously surveyed 146 students before the election, finding that about 46% of Bethel students would vote for Donald Trump and 38% would vote for Joe Biden.
Column chart showing how many students felt this was the most important election of their lifetime.Pie chart breaking down how individuals voted by year in school.Pie chart breaking down how individuals voted by type of major. Professional programs include Applied Health Sciences, Business, Communication Studies, Computer Science, Education, Nursing, Social Work. Humanities include Art & Design, Biblical and Theological Studies, English and Journalism, History, Philosophy and Political Science, Languages and Cultures, Music and Theatre. Sciences include Biology, Mathematics, Physics and Engineering, Psychological Sciences.
What most influences how you vote or voted in this 2024 presidential election?
“I would say pro life and pro choice and the topic of abortion is one of the biggest things…also the general reputation and the attitudes in which both candidates have been conducting themselves in the interviewing. And I would say that my family also impacts where I stand.”
–Hope Kim, PSEO exploratory major
Table showing what issues most affected students’ voting choices.
How was this data collected?
On Monday Nov. 4th, Clarion reporters roamed the academic buildings asking students to fill out an anonymous survey regarding the 2024 presidential election. 235 students responded. Despite the unscientific nature of this data collection, Joel Frederickson, associate dean of institutional assessment, confirmed that this sample size was large enough to create an accurate reflection of the student body’s overall opinion.
Additional reporting by reporting and principles of editing students.
Your donation will support the student journalists of Bethel University. Your contribution will allow us to purchase equipment and cover our annual website hosting costs.
