In campaigning for the upcoming midterm elections, President Obama faces the challenge of recapturing waning support among college students, a demographic that was integral to his successful 2008 campaign but has now soured after his first two years in office.
According to an Associated Press-mtvU poll conducted in September, approval ratings for Obama among college students are at 44 percent, a significant decrease from 60 percent in May 2009. The proportion of college students who disapprove of Obama's job performance also has risen from 15 to 27 percent during the same time frame. The poll surveyed more than 2,000 randomly selected college students between the ages of 18-24 nationwide.
The younger demographic is "particularly relevant because they were part of the coalition that helped elect Obama," said Alan Fram, author of the Associated Press report. During the 2008 presidential election, exit polls showed that one in every eight votes for Obama was cast by a first-time voter. Fifty-five percent of first-time voters were between ages 18 and 24, and the majority of the young voters were supporters of the Democratic Party.
Isaac Wood, communications director at the Center for Politics and former Cavalier Daily opinion columnist, attributed the dip in support to a difficult economy in which unemployment still hovers above 9 percent as well as the discrepancy between Obama's "general promise to change the way politics is done and to change Washington" and the current state of government remaining as "dysfunctional and polarized as ever."
As Obama worked to convert his campaign rhetoric into policy, the excitement of his vigorous election campaign began to subside for some University students. Fourth-year College student Chris Frohne, an Obama supporter, said he has felt disillusioned "to a certain degree" since the president took office.
"There's always going to be a fallout between the excitement during and the realization that everything can't be accomplished right away, especially in Obama's case because anticipation was so big," Frohne said. "[When] that wasn't accomplished quickly, people became disheartened."
In an attempt to revive support for the Democratic Party, Obama is making an effort to reach out to the youth demographic again. Last Thursday, he participated in a televised town hall meeting with young voters that was broadcast on MTV, BET and Country Music Television. Yesterday, he and Michelle Obama held a rally at Ohio State University with singer-songwriter John Legend as a guest performer. The president will lead another rally Friday at the University of Southern California.
"I think for him, the college-aged kids were really important in his winning so this [campaigning] would be a very effective strategy for him," said second-year College student Katie Adams, who does not support the president.
Despite the president's efforts, apathy or decreasing support among youth in the upcoming elections could be a significant factor in destabilizing the Democratic majority in Congress.
"I don't anticipate college students running en masse to the Republicans, but I do anticipate much fewer student turnout than in 2008 and perhaps even the past midterm elections," Wood said.
Wood also pointed out that the Center for Politics has seen a decline in support for Obama among most other demographic groups. He predicts "a big Republican gain" in the upcoming elections.
"The only thing that's going to save him in 2012 and could have saved the Democrats in 2010 is economic recovery in a big way," Wood said.
Although Frohne does not plan to vote in the midterm elections, he said if he were surveyed for the poll, he would say that he approves of the president's first two years in office.
"I'm not as enamored by his candidacy, but I still think he's doing the best job he can and has the best intentions," Frohne said.
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