The survey, which polled 600 full-time college students aged between 18 and 24, found that 58 percent supported Vice President Kamala Harris, while 40 percent voted for President-elect Trump. About two percent backed a third-party candidate.

While Harris won the majority of the student vote, the fact that Trump won 40 percent is noteworthy, considering that Republican candidates often struggle to win over a significant number of younger voters.

Male students were more likely to believe that Harris was unqualified than females (36 percent compared to 23 percent), according to the surrvey. Attitudes toward the vice president’s qualifications broke down along party lines, with 72 percent of conservative students deeming her to be unqualified and only 10 percent of liberals agreeing.

No surprise here.

But a striking finding was the seeming gender bias among college students. About 20 percent of respondents agreed with the statement that “a woman is not capable of performing the duties of the president of the U.S.”

The study looked at the issues college-aged voters prioritize the most, revealing stark differences between Trump and Harris supporters. Harris voters were more likely to favor social and environmental issues, with abortion access and “reproductive rights” topping the list at 73 percent. Gun control (70 percent) and climate change (63 percent) also ranked highly among the vice president’s supporters.

Conversely, Trump voters were driven primarily by economic concerns, with 76 percent naming the economy as their top issue. Job growth (58 percent) and immigration (57 percent) were also important to right-leaning college students.

Interestingly enough, foreign policy was not much of a priority to college students regardless of which candidate they supported. Only 34 percent considered the Israel-Hamas war to be a top issue.

When asked which candidate would handle key issues better, responses varied significantly.

The economy was nearly evenly split, with 46% of college students believing Harris would handle rising prices better and 45% siding with Trump. For job growth, 47% thought Harris would perform better, while 44% favored Trump.

Trump received more support than Harris on three major issues. Forty-seven percent of student voters believed Trump would handle immigration better, compared to 42% for Harris. On the Russia-Ukraine war, 45% trusted Trump’s approach, while 33% preferred Harris. Similarly, 38% felt Trump would manage the Israel-Hamas conflict better, versus 36% for Harris.

However, college students broadly supported Harris on other key issues, including housing, reproductive rights, climate change, student loan forgiveness, and gun control.

What stood out most to me was how students consumed political news. TikTok and Instagram dominated as top sources across the board. But Trump voters indicated a stronger preference for podcasts, with 34 percent citing them as a primary source of news, compared to only 17 percent of Harris voters.

Conservative-leaning students were slightly less likely than left-leaning students to rely on TikTok for news, with 55 percent of Trump voters using the platform compared to 63 percent of Harris voters.

The data suggests that conservatives are increasingly turning to digital platforms to get their news. It shows what many people have already seen: Alternative media is gradually replacing traditional media – especially among younger generations.

This is why it was smart for Trump go engage with famous podcasters like Joe Rogan and others. This might be part of the reason why he received a decent chunk of younger voters. It would be a great lesson for Republicans to learn in future elections.

It appears we are quickly entering into a new age in which digital platforms are becoming increasingly important. This gives conservatives an advantage because they already had to rely on mediums outside of cable news to reach their audiences. Now, the digital world is their oyster – if they play their cards right.