This article is the first installment of an ongoing report on the political views and voting trends of students at the University of Denver. As the 2024 Election Season continues to gather steam, more data and interviews will be collected to assess the views and trends of students.

Amidst the growing number of candidates in the Republican primaries and the upcoming trial for former President Donald Trump’s indictment in Georgia, among other things, students continue to have varied and uncertain views about the political landscape. The rigor of the new academic year, combined with a fast-paced media environment means that keeping up to date with current events isn’t always easy.

In both surveys and interviews, students expressed a variety of opinions on topics from the political party they were registered to, to how they felt about the Trump Indictments. The general mood seemed to indicate both consistency on which issues mattered and uncertainty about what the future should hold.

For example, when asked about the Biden administration’s response to the student loan crisis, all respondents stated that much more action was needed in some form as evidenced by the graph below. 

 However, when respondents were asked about their thoughts on the indictments against former President Donald Trump, the responses were much more varied, with some being highly satisfied with the outcome, while most were either indifferent or unsure. 

All the responses in the survey seemed to indicate largely liberal views, especially in regard to issues like climate change, reproductive rights and gun control. At the same time, when it came to more complex issues like the Trump indictment and who people would vote for, the responses were more complicated.

 When interviewing students in person, the responses were unsurprisingly a lot more personalized and varied. Almost everyone was still consistent in their belief that climate change was a hugely important issue. There was also broad consensus around the need to address various injustices more aggressively such as improving trans rights and reducing inequality. 

When it came to Joe Biden’s performance, almost everyone was indifferent, believing that there was room for improvement in certain areas, but not having any particular negative perceptions of the administration overall. 

“No real opinion on policies, but he has done a lot better than the previous presidents I’ve lived through,” said Evelyn Stovin. She went on to say that the administration, “could do a lot more engagement with younger people.” 

The one area where respondents were more uncertain was the Trump indictment. While almost everyone believed it was a step in the right direction, individual beliefs about the indictment weren’t as clear-cut. 

Junior Mick Wahlheim commented, “It’s good to hold people accountable,” while Stovin commented, “It sets a big precedent, but potentially overhyped. It will only really matter once an actual verdict is reached.”

Despite the variety of opinions regarding different issues, one area where all respondents were rather consistent was in party affiliation. In both the survey results and interviews, everyone said their preferred party affiliation was either Democrat or Independent. The generally positive views of Biden’s presidency, combined with strong views on climate change and other progressive issues, make this fact largely unsurprising. As the 2024 election season continues to gain steam, the political views and voting trends of DU Students will continue to be monitored.