NEW POLL: Romney surging amongst college women

Oct. 26, 2012 - PRLog -- BOSTON – Could college women and their views on gender issues cost former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney the election? Or will a recent surge among college women put him over the top?

Her Campus Media (www.hercampus.com), the #1 online community for college women with campus chapters at 200+ schools across the country, surveyed 18-24-year-old registered voters during a three-day period from October 23-25.

President Barack Obama maintains a substantial lead over Governor Romney amongst the demographic (62.5 percent to 31.25 percent), despite the fact that Obama polled five points higher in September’s Her Campus poll (http://www.hercampus.com/news-blog/hc-poll-results-your-views-2012-presidential-election). Romney’s poll numbers on the other hand jumped more than 10 points from 20.8 percent in September (http://www.hercampus.com/news-blog/hc-poll-results-your-views-2012-presidential-election).

When asked which candidate is best suited to handle the economy, Obama’s support falls to 57.95 percent, while Romney’s jumps to 36.36 percent. And if you take the Romney-Ryan campaign, make them pro-choice and pro-gay marriage and keep the rest of their platform, Democratic support falls to 48.10 percent with 18.75 percent undecided.

“In the context of a nationwide election that could come down to one state, one county, or even one vote, the opportunity for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to create that type of shift on a secondary issue could be the difference between victory and defeat,” said Her Campus Media Co-Founder, CEO & Editor-in-Chief Stephanie Kaplan.

Social Issues polled fourth behind the National Debt, Unemployment and Healthcare when Her Campus readers were polled on top election issues in September (http://www.hercampus.com/news-blog/hc-poll-results-your-v...). In this month’s poll, 56.82 percent of young women said that both the Federal Government and private sector banks should be held responsible in student loan reform, while 30.68 percent said that responsibility should be exclusive to the government.

Her Campus Presidential Poll – October, 2012

1) With less than two weeks to go until the election, which candidate are you voting for?
Barack Obama – 62.50 percent
Mitt Romney – 31.25 percent
Other – 3.98 percent
Undecided – 2.27 percent

2) Which candidate do you feel would best handle the economy?
Barack Obama – 57.95 percent
Mitt Romney – 36.36 percent
Neither – 5.68 percent

3) Have the debates changed your opinion of either candidate? (Check all that apply)
Yes, I have a more favorable position of Obama – 27.11 percent
Yes, I have a more favorable opinion of Romney. – 12.85 percent
Yes, I have a less favorable opinion of Obama. – 12.85 percent
Yes, I have a less favorable opinion of Romney. – 42.00 percent
No, the debates did not change my opinion of either candidate. – 42.80 percent

4) Suppose Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan’s platform was pro-choice and pro-gay marriage. Who would you vote for? This is assuming that their stance on all other issues remains the same.
Barack Obama and Joe Biden – 48.10 percent
Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan – 31.25 percent
I don’t know – 18.75 percent
Neither – 1.70 percent

5) Who should hold the burden of responsibility on student loan reform?
The Federal Government – 30.68 percent
Private Sector Banks – 7.39 percent
A combination of both – 56.82 percent
Neither – 5.11 percent

Note: Survey demographics were 172 registered female voters between the ages of 18-24 throughout the United States. 33 percent of those surveyed were in one of the critical swing states. (CO, FL, IA, MI, NC, NV, OH, PA, VA)

For more information:
http://www.hercampus.com/media-info/october-26-2012-new-poll-obamas-support-stable-amongst-college-women-romney-surging

About HerCampus.com:
Her Campus (www.hercampus.com) is the #1 online community for college women with chapters at 200+ colleges across the country, supplementing national content with local content, produced entirely by the nation's top student journalists. Her Campus also serves as a marketing platform connecting companies with college students across the country in creative ways.

Founded by three Harvard students - Stephanie Kaplan '10, Windsor Hanger '10, and Annie Wang '11 – Her Campus launched in September 2009 after winning Harvard's business plan competition, and has since grown to 1 million monthly readers with chapters at 200+ colleges. The company has formed content partnerships with Seventeen magazine, SELF magazine and The Huffington Post, and worked with clients including Victoria’s Secret PINK, Intel, Bing, LOFT, New Balance, Pinkberry, Merck and Contiki among others.

Her Campus was a 2011 winner and was named Best All-Around Team in MassChallenge, the world's largest startup competition. Her Campus has been featured in the The New York Times, Yahoo Finance, Fast Company, Forbes, PR Week, Mashable, The Economist, AOL Money College, CNN Money, CBS MoneyWatch, Business Insider, U.S. News & World Report, and on ABC News Now and Fox25 News, among others. The Her Campus co-founders have been named to BusinessWeek’s 25 Under 25 Best Young Entrepreneurs, Inc. magazine's 30 Under 30 Coolest Young Entrepreneurs, Glamour magazine's 20 Amazing Young Women, and The Boston Globe's 25 Most Stylish Bostonians.