Election Stressors: How College Students feel about the 2024 Presidential Election

College Students are invested in the Election like never before

Presidential elections can create many different feelings for different people. Some feel intense stress, while others are relatively unaffected. Before this most recent election, I interviewed a student at the University of Oregon, hoping to gain insight into how college students felt about the election, voting, and conversations surrounding political participation on campus. The student I interviewed, whose identity I will keep anonymous for privacy reasons, is a fourth-year female student in the School of Journalism and Communication. We only chatted for about 15 minutes, but she provided great insight into the mind of college students and the feelings they are having surrounding this election. The text I chose to include in this post are the parts I view as being the most important or impactful.  

I want to preface the discussion that took place in this interview by saying that, even though we now know the outcome, this interview took place the day before the election, and the results were still unknown.  

Interview Transcript 

Q: When you’re thinking about the upcoming election, what are three words that come to mind to describe how you’re feeling about it? 

A: Stressful, Intense and divisive. Stressful in terms of I know who I voted for, and I know where my views stand. And with the two candidates that are up for becoming president, they’re so drastically different. It’s very stressful to either have what I hope becomes our future president, and then knowing the other options I feel like is going to really deteriorate what America is and what we stand for and a lot of rights that come with that. It’s also very intense because it’s very left or right. There’s no respect for either party, there’s no line of community or anything. It’s either you’re this or you’re that, and there’s no line of respect. So, it’s very intense and it’s very politically divisive. Like I said, it’s one way or the other and it’s like, oh, say hypothetically, I voted for this person, and you voted for the other candidate then I don’t like you anymore. And I’m just like, that shouldn’t be a thing and sadly, it is. It’s just very separated. 

Q: What is your biggest concern regarding the upcoming election? 

A: Rights, having women’s rights implemented. Our climate, just everything. Everything that’s on the ballot, it’s all for grabs. It’s either going to be this way, or this way, and I know where I stand on it and I know where a lot of people stand, and it goes both ways.  

Q: Why did you feel like voting was important for you? 

A: Well, also being, in fact, I can finally vote in this presidential election. I was a few months shy from voting in 2020. So, for me, it was very important for me to have my voice and vote. It is my right. Also, I think this political election is the biggest election we’ve ever had, and so I’m like every single vote counts and I want to make my voice heard. 

Q: Have you discussed the election with your peers at all? And if so, how did that conversation go? What’d you guys talk about that? Just kind of run me through that if you’ve had that conversation. 

A: I’ve definitely talked to my peers about where I stand and where they stand, and we all align. And it’s very interesting because it’s like a lot of things get brought up, like women’s rights or climate change or gun rights, they’re all open topics of conversation. And to me it’s very fascinating. There may be a few things that we don’t align on, but overall picture we do. But it’s fascinating to hear other people’s input and that contributes to why they voted for this person or that person. So, I would say that, overall, the conversations were good and very respectful and informative. I’ve learned from talking to my peers about things. 

Q: Did you feel an added pressure to vote this election cycle being on a college campus? Do you think that impacted your decision to vote? 

A: Definitely, because everybody’s like, you have to vote. Vote, use your voice. And then also I think being on a college campus and getting educated and being in community where everybody’s very outwardly saying, you need to vote, really persuades me and really makes me think about the importance of it and the gravity of voting. 

Q: Has thinking and talking about the election heightened or created any feelings of anxiety and depression for you? 

A: Absolutely. I would say talking about the election and verbalizing it and saying it out loud, it really makes me realize the severity of everything. If project 2025 comes in action, we’re screwed. And that’s scary. Our climate is screwed, doing what I’m doing. I’m very much an activist for climate change through fashion and there’s so much to be done. It also just goes back to things like misogyny and sexism and I’m like, they’re trying to press women back into a box. And that’s very scary for me because we’ve really just seen monumental change throughout our history and they’re trying to put us back in it and it makes me really sad. 

Q: Do you feel the results of the selection will have a direct impact on your life in any way? 

A: Absolutely. It’s either going to give me my rights back or it’s going to take them away as a woman.  

Discussion

There are a few common themes that emerge throughout the interview. Feelings of anxiety and fear are prominent for this student when discussing how she feels about the election. She expresses concerns about her own basic human rights being stripped away as a woman, which speaks to how important this election is—not only for college students, but for many young people in general. Another key theme throughout the interview is how important voting is for this student and her peers. In recent elections, we have seen an increase in young people, specifically college students, who are turning out to vote. Based on this interview, I believe this trend has only strengthened with this election. Young people are using voting to show that their voice matters.  

Overall, this most recent presidential election means so much to young college students. There are feelings of fear, anxiety, sadness and hope all mixed into the outcome of one event. It is inaccurate to write of young people as not interested or indifferent to these important elections, as more and more people are beginning to feel their lives—and the right to live their lives the way they want—are at stake. Never count out the college students’ votes, as many of these elections mean more to them than ever before.