38 percent of young Americans approve of Biden’s performance

Just over a third of young Americans in a new poll approve of President Biden’s performance as he gears up for an expected 2024 reelection bid.

A Harvard Youth Poll, released Monday by the Institute of Politics at Harvard Kennedy School, found Biden earned an approval rating of 38 percent among American registered voters between ages 18 and 29.

The figure is a three-point drop since last fall and a five-point drop since last spring, the poll notes. He’s significantly more popular among young Democrats — at 64 percent — than among Republicans — 6 percent. He has a 30 percent approval among independent or unaffiliated young voters.

The new poll comes as Biden is expected to kick off a 2024 reelection bid as soon as Tuesday, after months of anticipation about a run and amid concerns about the president’s age. 

Roughly a quarter of young Americans in the new Harvard poll approve of Biden’s handling of the economy and inflation, at 28 and 22 percent, respectively. Just over a third approve of his handling of race relations and of the war in Ukraine, at 38 and 37 percent, respectively. 

Twenty-seven percent approve of the president’s handling of gun violence — at the same time, 40 percent in the poll also say they are concerned “about being a victim of gun violence or a mass shooting.” 

Nearly half — or 48 percent — of young Americans said they’ve felt unsafe in the last month. Around half of female college students are concerned that they could be victim to a mass shooting or to sexual assault, at 53 and 49 percent, respectively. 

Conducted March 13-22, the Harvard Youth Poll surveyed 2,069 Americans between ages 18 and 29 and had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.86 percentage points.