Survey: Walls’ Thoughts on the Looming Presidential Election

With the 2024 Presidential Election creeping closer and closer all eyes are on the impending race, and the eyes of Walls students are no exception.

The Rookery conducted an anonymous survey of nearly 50 Walls students across all grades to gauge their priorities and concerns regarding the upcoming election. The survey, conducted approximately a month prior to election day, revealed that many students already have a clear vision of the kind of person they want to see as the leader of the United States, and what policies they expect to be implemented.

Overall, 66% of students surveyed have reported that they follow the election “very closely.” “I feel like it’s impossible not to follow the election, with the stakes so high and human rights on the line,” a 9th grader commented. This interest is manifested in some clubs offered at School Without Walls such as Youth and Government as well as speech and debate, where students can discuss current politics and trends.

The survey asked what respondents’ top three priorities were in the race, out of ten options ranging from healthcare to education. According to the data received, climate change and reproductive rights are the most major concerns that students had, with 75% and 68% respectively picking those issues as one of their top three. Other topics like healthcare and international relations were also a popular pick among Walls, with 54% and 47% of respondents respectively picking it as one of their top priorities.

Surveyed students’ focus on these issues is aligned with the larger landscape of activism at Walls. Sunrise Movement at SWW, remains incredibly popular among students as well as clubs supporting women’s rights and reproductive issues such as the Monthly Club. Both organizations have a significant number of participants, with the Sunrise Movement having over 25 students and the Monthly Club having over 10 students.

Students had a wide variety of expectations for the president elect, ranging from “not embarrassing us” to “someone who can maintain good relations [abroad] and rights for all”, to other more specific desires like “...a stronger economy and inflation coming down, more combating of Chinese foreign influence, more money for Ukraine, and, of course, the restoration of Roe v. Wade.” One freshman commented, “[I would like to see] plans to reduce poverty, as well as a discussion about DC’s statehood.” Poverty was a big worry among the responses, as 48% of students surveyed worried that financial well-being of some Americans will crumble in the future.

While some students were troubleshooting specific issues the US experiences now, some were zooming out and focusing on America as a whole. “I hope that the next president doesn’t only care about the needs of their party, but the needs of America,” a sophomore said, echoing a common sentiment among students that the country is currently too polarized.

Despite their overwhelming interest in the election, students surveyed were largely skeptical of whether the new president would make tangible change, with over 85% stating that they don’t believe that neither candidate will “address young peoples’ concerns”. While the majority is overwhelming, 38% of respondents believe that Kamala Harris, the democratic candidate, is doing a better job than Donald Trump. A student said “All the promotion on social media has helped a lot, like the “coconut tree” meme, and she’s actually uses it all to address some concerns.” Many students agreed that Harris has no other choice but to cater to younger voters, because they are her target audience.

However, the majority of the student body believes that both candidates are not doing enough to get the young people’s vote. A sophomore who was surveyed says “[I feel like they address] some concerns, yes, but not all of them. There are so many issues this country needs to fix, and there’s only so much the candidates can help with, but it can be difficult not to feel like they should be doing more.” Another student added - “I feel like they’re focusing a lot of campaigning around the concerns of young voters, [but] I’m not convinced they’re actually going to do anything about them after the election.”

Though students are largely pessimistic about the next presidential term, they seem to be sympathetic to the challenges of the job. 57% of students surveyed believed that the incoming president’s greatest challenge during their term will be “managing the expectations of the public.” A senior said “with lots of different demographics expecting different things, it will be difficult to balance all of those expectations and needs.”43% reported that they expected that the greatest issue for the next leader of the United States will be “managing international conflicts” that the country is involved in one way or the other such as the war between Ukraine and Russia, as well as various growing conflicts in the Middle East.

The combination of current global challenges and students’ uncertainty of candidates’ capability and willingness to address them manifests clearly in students' overall perception of the election, with 65% saying that the 2024 Election makes them “feel worried for the future.” As grim as the number might seem, some students maintained a positive outlook on the future. “I am a little worried, but I think things will be okay,” said a senior.