How do students in the college capital of the world think?

Maya Shavit, Co-editor-in-chief of the Boston Political Review at Boston University

Many Boston University students are voting for Kamala Harris and think their friends are doing the same. Despite this, the surveyed student body is trembling at the thought of being wrong.

In a nonpartisan anonymous survey conducted by the Boston Political Review, the largest political student-run newsroom in New England, approximately almost two thirds of the respondents noted their votes for the democratic presidential candidate.

The survey also found that there was an average confidence score in Kamala Harris of approximately 72 out of 100 on our scale. Further, over two thirds of students were extremely, somewhat, or very confident in those results.

Despite this seemingly confident approach to a candidate, the majority of student-respondents seem to be nervous, with one student reporting a particularly tense environment and another noting that they have witnessed “threats on both sides” that were anxiety inducing.

Common words that popped up for students regarding feelings towards the election were “disheartening” and “scary” especially as there seems to be a sentiment on campus that this election is reminiscent of the 2016 election.

“I am extremely anxious that Americans in swing states will support Trump, despite my confidence that Harris will win the popular vote,” said a senior from Illinois voting by mail. 

Further, a feeling of misrepresentation at the political landscape was prevalent in the results.

“Neither party represents my interests anymore. I used to align much more strongly with the Democrats, but as they keep moving to the right to pander to centrists, feel less and less represented by them,” said a senior still unsure if he will be voting on Tuesday.

The student voters who participated in the survey hailed from 40 of the 50 states with the most common state unsurprisingly being Massachusetts, the school’s base state, with 90 responses followed by New York, California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The survey was taken by a sample of 400 students affiliated with the Boston University campus as of November 3, 2025. It was distributed via social media and on campus.