Survey Finds 96% of Student Veterans Will Vote
SVA’s Veteran Opinion Survey measures the opinion of America’s veterans by studying a sample of that population utilizing surveys, in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions. The goal of this survey is to give veterans a stronger voice on the topics and issues specific to them, provide a new level of accountability for Congressional Members, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and others serving the veteran community, and contribute to national discussion of veterans’ topics.
Similar to previous surveys on veterans’ civic engagement, a strong majority of veterans (93.3%) in this survey reported they were registered to vote. 96.2% of the sample reported they were likely to vote in the 2020 Presidential Election on November 3, 2020. That being said, 15.6% of veterans surveyed reported they still are unsure if they will vote absentee/mail-in or in person.
Student veterans reported a discomfort with returning to large in-person classes due to COVID-19. Just over a third (35.8%) reported they would be comfortable attending in-person classes with more than 30 people and 55% reported being comfortable attending a class with fewer than 30 people. 57.5% would feel comfortable using their campus library.
Survey Highlights Economic Concerns
While majority of the respondents have a negative view of the economy, respondents have not felt the current economy downturn, but many are concerned the bad economy will affect them. 37.1% of veterans reported some level of concern that they will not have a job in the next 3 months and 40.7% said the Covid-19 pandemic has negatively impacted their finances.
52.3% or veterans have reported an increase in anxiety within the last week when taking the survey. 59.8% have reported an increase in stress during that same time period.
Childcare
56.7% of parents surveyed said the loss of childcare or school closure would negatively impact their ability to attend school. 64.6% reported that a loss of childcare or school closure would negatively impact their ability to work.
What should the President or your Member of Congress focus on during the next 6 months?
We put the most frequent responses together in a word cloud.
What should Student Veterans of America focus on during the next 6 months?
We put the most frequent responses together in a word cloud.
Methodology
This survey was an internet only survey, launched on August 17, 2020 and closed on August 21, 2020. The recruitment method was a closed SVA email list of individuals who opted-in to be a part of SVA’s research panels and receiving periodic web surveys. A total of 401 responses were recorded. It should be noted that this is not a representative sample of the population (nonscientific survey) as there are no national demographics of student veterans to create stratifications or weights.