How will Franklin College vote?
The Franklin, along with a group of students in an LA 112 politics class taught by Fred Witzig and Gene White, polled 171 likely voters at Franklin College. Here's what the group found.
PRESIDENT
Democratic nominee Sen. Barack Obama leads among the 171 Franklin College students surveyed who said they are likely to vote, 82 to 59 for his opponent, Republican nominee Sen. John McCain. 25 of those surveyed remain undecided, while five said they will vote for a third-party candidate.
Though Obama is a Democrat, those who said they’d support him also said they were more likely to support Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels for re-election. Of the 82 who supported Obama, 32 said they would vote for Daniels, versus 24 for Democratic candidate Jill Long Thompson, three for Libertarian candidate Andrew Horning and 24 who remain undecided.
Obama supporters were likely to support Democratic candidates in U.S. House races, by a margin 56 for Democrats and five for Republicans. McCain supporters, too, were likely to support Republican candidates in U.S. House races, by a 47 to three margin.
Those surveyed overwhelmingly named the economy as the issue the next president will have to deal with above all others. 126 people listed the economy first, while 12 named Iraq, nine named health care, seven named the environment and seven named terrorism. Six said “other,” and eight more said they’re not sure.
By nearly a two-to-one margin, men were likely to support Obama over McCain – 47 said they’d vote for Obama while 24 said McCain. Meanwhile, women were nearly split even. 36 said they’d vote for Obama, while 35 said McCain.
White students said they’d support Obama by a 73 to 58 margin. Students who identified themselves as black, Hispanic or other said they’d vote for Obama over McCain by a 10 to one margin.
Of those who attend religious services often or sometimes, 51 support Obama and 46 support McCain. Of those who attend church rarely or never, 32 support Obama and 13 support McCain.
Athletes are slightly more likely – by a 29 to 26 margin – to support Obama over McCain. Students involved in Greek Life supported McCain, 32 to 29. Students in multicultural groups supported Obama, 10 to one.
Of women surveyed who are members of sororities, 23 said they support McCain, versus 13 for Obama. Of men surveyed who are members of fraternities, 16 said they support Obama, versus 9 for McCain.
Students who work part time on campus overwhelmingly support Obama, 35 to 11. Those who do not work support McCain, 26 to 24.
Business majors are most likely to support McCain over Obama, eight to four. Elementary education majors are the second-most likely to support McCain, 14 to 10. Those who major in social sciences are among Obama’s biggest group of supporters, with 21 favoring him over 11 for McCain. With smaller sample groups, computing and art majors are also overwhelmingly backing Obama.
GOVERNOR
Franklin College students overwhelmingly back Republican Gov. Mitch Daniels’ bid for re-election. 97 of 171 likely voters surveyed said they support Daniels, versus 30 for his Democratic opponent, Jill Long Thompson. Seven said they’ll vote for Libertarian candidate Andrew Horning, and 37 said they are undecided.
Daniels fared best among voters who said they consider property taxes the top issue the next governor must deal with, gaining 30 supporters versus six for Long Thompson.
Those who said they’d vote for a Democrat for the U.S. House were more likely, 38 to 34, to vote for Daniels rather than Lnog Thompson.
While Daniels enjoyed a large lead in nearly every category, Long Thompson was competitive among those who work part-time on campus. She won 14 votes in that category to the governor’s 21.
Among journalism majors, Daniels and Long Thompson tied, nine to nine. That was Long Thompson’s best performance. Her worst was among elementary education majors, who preferred Daniels, 19 to two.
Social sciences majors, who overwhelmingly supported Obama, also overwhelmingly supported Daniels. He won that group over Long Thompson, 24 to four.
All of Libertarian candidate Andrew Horning’s seven supporters said they would vote for Obama for president.
