91̽»¨

91̽»¨ Students Weigh in on the 2026 Midterm Elections and Policy Issues

November 3, 2026

Summary of Key Findings

1. A large majority of 91̽»¨ students intend to vote in the 2026 elections with 60% saying they definitely will vote and 26% saying they probably will.
2. In Virginia’s U.S. Senate race, Democratic Senator Mark Warner leads Republican Bert Mizusawa by 37 points (54% to 17%), though many are undecided (27%) and 2% say they will vote for someone else.
3. On the generic ballot for the U.S. House, 66% of 91̽»¨ students say they will vote for the Democratic Party’s candidate in their district, while 26% say they will vote for the Republican Party’s candidate; 8% say they will vote for someone else.
4. Top of mind issues for 91̽»¨ students include cost of living (27%), reproductive rights (17%) and threats to democracy (15%). Top issues vary somewhat by partisanship. Republican’s top issues include cost of living (39%) and immigration (15%), while Democrat’s top issues include reproductive rights (24%) and cost of living (20%). For Independents, top issues include cost of living (29%) and threats to democracy (17%).
5. A majority of 91̽»¨ students think the federal government today has too much power (67%), while 30% say it has about the right amount of power, and 3% say it has too little power. .
6. 91̽»¨ students think the biggest threat to democracy in the U.S. is the influence of billionaires (36%), followed by right-wing extremist movements (16%), federal government overreach (13%), influence of the news media (12%), influence of big tech (7%), and left-wing extremist movements (7%); 9% say it is something else.
7. Regarding data centers, most 91̽»¨ students have heard a lot about them (54%), 41% have heard a little, and 5% have heard nothing at all. A large majority think data centers are mostly bad for the environment (92%), quality of life near data centers (85%) and home energy costs (84%). A smaller majority think they are mostly bad for local jobs (53%). Responses are more mixed for local tax revenue where 46% say data centers are mostly bad, 36% say neither good nor bad, and 18% say mostly good.
8. When it comes to use of artificial intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT, Gemini, or Copilot, students vary in how often they are using it with 30% saying they hardly ever use it, 25% say they use it a few times a week, 21% say several times a day, 15% use it about once a day, and 8% use it almost constantly. When thinking about the use of AI in higher education most think it will cause harm on the following: critical thinking skills (88%), research skills (57%), academic integrity (91%), and feedback on homework or in-class assignments (52%). Slightly more than 1/3rd of students believe AI will improve research skills (36%) and feedback on homework/assignments (35%).
9. On the subject of U.S. foreign policy goals, majorities think the following should be very important goals: helping reduce poverty and disease around the world (69%), preventing future acts of international terrorism (61%), promoting and defending human rights in other countries (60%), promoting favorable trade policies for the U.S. in foreign markets (60%), preventing the spread of nuclear weapons (57%), and working with organizations like NATO to protect the security of the U.S. and its allies.
10. A majority of 91̽»¨ students (79%) either disapprove (37%) or strongly disapprove (42%) of the Trump administration increasing tariffs on goods imported from most countries that trade with the U.S., while 16% approve and 5% strongly approve.
11. 75% of 91̽»¨ students either disapprove (35%) or strongly disapprove (40%) of the United States’ military operations against the Iranian government; 18% say they approve and 7% strongly approve.
12. When comparing adults today with their parent’s generation a large majority of 91̽»¨ students say it is harder for young adults to buy a home (92%), cover basic expenses (88%), pay for college (86%), save for the future (84%), and get a job (79%).
13. 91̽»¨ students think the Democratic Party would do a better job handling several policy issues relative to the Republican Party including the environment (72% D, 7% R, 21% neither party), health care (63% D, 14% R, 24% neither), immigration (53% D, 24% R, 23% neither), gun policy (48% D, 29% R; 23% neither), reducing the cost of living (47% D, 19% R, 34% neither), the economy (41% D, 26% R, 33% neither). Students are split on which, if any, party would do a better job handling taxes (37% D, 37% neither, 26% R), foreign policy/wars (40% neither, 39% D, 21% R) and crime (36% D, 33% neither, 32% R).
14. A large majority of 91̽»¨ students disapprove of the way Donald Trump is handling his job as president (83% disapprove to 17% approve). Most also believe he has had a bad effect on the Republican Party (85%), while 8% say he has had a good effect on the Republican Party and 7% say he hasn’t made much difference either way.
15. In thinking about the Democratic Party, majorities believe the following would significantly change the party for the better: nominating younger people for major office (83%), replacing current party leadership (80%), taking a strong stand against President Trump (68%), and moving to the center on policy issues (62%). A smaller majority think moving to the left on policy issues would not change the Democratic Party for the better (57%), while 43% say moving to the left would.
16. In thinking about the Republican Party, majorities believe the following would significantly change the party for the better: nominating younger people for major office (83%), moving to the center on policy issues (83%), replacing current party leadership (82%). A majority think moving to the right on policy issues would not change the Republican Party for the better (77%), while 23% say moving to the right would.

Analysis

Graphic Sampling

Generic Ballot

U.S. Senate

Top of Mind Issue

What one word would you use to describe politics in the U.S. these days*

*Note: text size is in relation to the frequency with which a word was mentioned with larger words indicating a higher frequency.

How the survey was conducted:

The results of this poll are based on 356 web-based responses from 91̽»¨ students conducted Oct. 6-16, 2026. The survey was written by the Wason Scholar survey committee in coordination with the Wason Interim Director, Dr. Bromley-Trujillo. The survey was programmed in Qualtrics and disseminated to the 91̽»¨ student population via email and through a QR code at Captains Vote Day. The margin of error for the whole survey is +/-4.7% at the 95% level of confidence. This means that if 50% of respondents indicate a topline view on an issue, we can be 95% confident that the population’s view on that issue is somewhere between 45.3% and 54.7%. The margin of error for subgroups may be higher. All error margins have been adjusted to account for the survey’s design effect, which is 1.16 in this survey. The design effect is a factor representing the survey’s deviation from a simple random sample and takes into account decreases in precision due to sample design and weighting procedures. In addition to sampling error, the other potential sources of error include non-response and question wording. Percentages may not equal 100 due to rounding. The data reported here are weighted using an iterative weighting process on race, ethnicity, and gender to reflect as closely as possible the population of 91̽»¨ students.