The National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS) presents the results of the 2016 Presidential Election Straw Poll Survey, which was administered online to student members of NSHSS in December 2015.

This report, prepared by Hanover Research, summarizes participants’ preferences for accessing political news, past participation in presidential elections, and opinions of the 2016 presidential election candidates and issues.

In total, 9,899 NSHSS members, ages 15 to 32, responded to the survey.

INTRODUCTION

NSHSS is an international honor society founded by James Lewis and Claes Nobel, senior member of the family that established the Nobel Prizes. NSHSS recognizes academic excellence among high-achieving scholars, offering resources supporting transitions from high school to college, and college to career. 

With more than 1.1 million diverse lifetime members (ages 15 to 32), NSHSS scholars are pushing the envelope on changing the world for both themselves as well as for others around them.

More than 115,000 high-achieving high school scholars are inaugurated into lifetime membership with the Society annually.

ABOUT NSHSS

“With millennials now becoming the largest voting bloc in the country, NSHSS recognizes the tremendous value in conducting a Political Survey of our members. Our diverse group of members represents the future leaders of our country, and understanding their political interests and habits can reveal insight into how to effectively reach out to this influential generation.”

- James W. Lewis

A NOTE FROM NSHSS PRESIDENT JAMES W. LEWIS

NSHSS members are diverse in their socio-economic background, geography, religion, gender, and cultural heritage.

• 96% of NSHSS lifetime members reside in the United States. • 40% of scholars are multi-lingual, with 21% fluent in Spanish.

Scholars indicate fluency in French, Mandarin, Arabic, Hindi, German, Italian and Japanese among numerous other languages.

• 78% of scholars plan to attend graduate school. • 24% are first generation college students.• 77% indicate they are actively involved in their communities

through volunteerism. • 48% of scholars indicate a strong interest in international

experiences. • 96% seek an internship that will develop their skills and give

them training to prepare for their career.

32%

68%

Gender

MaleFemale

White/Caucasian0.38

Black/African American22%

Latino/Hispanic19%

Asian/Pacific Islander12%

Other9%

Ethnicity

NSHSS MEMBERSHIP

RESPONDENTS TO THE SURVEY

White/Caucasian38%

Black/ African-American

19%Latino/Hispanic

19%

Asian/ Pacific Is-lander12%

Other12%

Ethnicity

In total, 9,899 NSHSS members, ages 15 to 32, responded to the survey.

GENDER

Male 26%

Female 73%

Prefer Not to Answer 1%

• Survey results on demographic information show that a larger percentage of male respondents (37%) are 18 or older compared to female respondents (29%).

• In addition, a larger portion of male respondents are White (Male-42%; Female-38%) or Asian (Male-13%; Female-10%) compared to female respondents.

• Meanwhile, a larger percentage of female respondents are Black or African American (Female-21%; Male-14%).

News Consumption Most respondents report checking the news with some regularity, suggesting that high-achieving millennials like to stay informed on current issues. They tend to consume news quickly, with more than one-third spending less than 15 minutes checking the news. The most popular sources are online newspapers, television and social media.Voter Registration and Participation High-achieving millennials seem to be more engaged in politics than their peers, as shown by the fact that 78% of respondents who were eligible to vote in 2012 cast a ballot in the 2012 presidential election. More than half the respondents above the age of 18 are registered to vote, and 90% of all respondents say they plan to vote in future presidential elections. Issues of ImportanceThe top 5 issues high-achieving millennials consider important are the economy and jobs, student loan debt, terrorism, civil rights and healthcare.

KEY FINDINGS

Most respondents rely on online newspapers (58%) and websites (35%) such as Politico and Vox to access political news on the internet.

National TV stations or networks (70%) are the most popular source of political news on television, followed by local TV Stations or networks (24%).

Facebook (49%) is the most popular social media platform for accessing political news, followed by Twitter (32%).

Most radio listeners listen to local radio stations (64%) to access political news.

National newspapers (43%) and local newspapers (39%) are the most popular forms of print media for accessing political news.

Only 2% of respondents report not accessing any political news.

NEWS CONSUMPTION

Internet

Television

Social Media

Radio/podcasts

Print Media

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%79%

70%

66%

25%

15%

Where do millennials get their political news?

Series1

18% 31% 41% 10%

How often do high-achieving millen-nials check the news?

Every Day Regularly Sometimes Hardly Ever Never

None <15 minutes 15-29 minutes 30-59 minutes >1 hour0%10%20%30%40%50%

Amount of time high-achieving millen-nials spent checking the news yester-

day

Male respondents are significantly more likely to get their political news on the internet or in print compared to females.

Females, on the other hand, are more likely to use television or social media for their political news compared to males.

Male respondents are more likely to check the news every day or regularly for a longer period of time (30 minutes) compared to females.

NEWS CONSUMPTION BY GENDER

Internet

Television

Social Media

Print Media

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%77%

71%

69%

14%

83%

67%

58%

17%

Where do you get most of your news on politics?

Male Female

VOTER REGISTRATION AND PARTICIPATION

28% of currently registered voters were eligible to vote in the 2012 election and 78% of those respondents cast a ballot in 2012.

An analysis of participation in presidential elections by the U.S. Census Bureau shows that in 2012, 38% of 18-to-24 year olds voted in the 2012 election, comparing to a voting rate of 60.8% for all adults 18 and over in 2012.1

1 File, T. “Young-Adult Voting: An Analysis of Presidential Elections, 1964-2012.” U.S. Census Bureau, April 2014. https://www.census.gov/prod/2014pubs/p20-573.pdf

VOTER REGISTRATION AND PARTICIPATION

Nearly half of all respondents consider the economy one of the most important issues when selecting a presidential candidate. About one-third of respondents also selected student loan debt, terrorism and civil rights as critical issues.

ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE

The economy and jobs Student loan debt

Terrorism Civil rights

Health care Immigration Gun control

Energy and EnvironmentIncome Inequality

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%49%

34%33%

32%26%26%

22%19%

16%

Issues of Importance to High-Achieving Millennials

ISSUES OF IMPORTANCE BY GENDER

The Economy and Jobs

Student Loan Debt

Terrorism

Civil Rights

Healthcare

Immigration

Energy and Environment

Income Inequality

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%47%

35%

33%

34%

27%

27%

17%

16%

55%

30%

37%

26%

22%

23%

25%

14%

Issues of Importance to High-Achieving Mil-lennials

Male Female

CONCLUDING REMARKS

“In the 2015 annual NSHSS Millennial Career Survey, 77% of NSHSS members surveyed reported that they are engaged in their community through leadership positions and community service. Knowing this information, we were not surprised to find that our members are more actively involved in politics than their peers. We are proud to learn through our survey that our members not only take a stand on important issues, but also are actually doing something about it.  NSHSS rewards the service of our members through scholarships and grants like the National Scholar Awards, the Sheppard Leadership Awards, and the Hollister Co. Anti-bullying Awards, among others. By providing support for our members to work in their communities, we are giving them a head start to change the world for the better.” 

-James W. Lewis, NSHSS President

To learn how you can connect with NSHSS millennials, contact:

Beth PannVice President

Email: Beth.Pann@nshss.orgPhone: 1-866-343-1800, extension 535Web: www.nshss.org