By Fritz Schemel ’17

In light of the Nov. 8 election, Inklings polled 305 Staples students on the presidential race from Oct. 4-6, around the time real ballots were beginning to be cast in the form of early voting. This is what we found.

Who are you voting for?

• Hillary Clinton: 67 percent
• Donald Trump: 21 percent
• Gary Johnson: 9.2 percent
• Jill Stein: <1 percent
• Other: 2 percent

Staples is voting overwhelmingly for Hillary Clinton. Although Clinton leads many national polls, the margin of victory among Staples students is much wider than the national average, which puts Clinton at ___ percent compared to Trump’s ___ percent.

Voting by party:

• 58 percent of Staples considers themselves Democrats, and 93 percent of Dems are voting for Clinton
• 21 percent of Staples considers themselves Republicans, and 73 percent of Repubs are voting for Trump
• 16 percent of Staples considers themselves Independents, and 60 percent of Independents are voting for Clinton, compared to just 17 percent for Trump. Libertarian Gary Johnson is polling ahead of Trump at 21 percent among Staples independents.

Unfavorable Ratings

• Clinton: 54 percent favorable, 46 percent unfavorable
• Trump: 17 percent favorable, 83 percent unfavorable

Trump is far more disliked among Staples students than Hillary Clinton. However, neither candidate is widely liked, with just over a half of students holding a favorable view of Clinton. Trump’s national unfavorable rating has hovered near 60 percent according to numerous national polls from Fox News, Gallup, CNN, CBS and ABC/Washington Post. According to the RealClearPolitics average as of October 12, Clinton’s unfavorable rating was just over 50 percent.

What policy do students care about most?

• Social Issues: 30 percent
• Economic Policy: 25 percent
• National Security: 16 percent
• Character/Temperament: 11 percent
• 18 percent other

According to Pew Research Center, the majority of voters nationwide care about the economy and national security the most. However, for Staples students, social issues climbed to the top of their concerns. The majority of voters that cared most about social issues sided with Clinton, and 40 percent of Clinton supporters at Staples considered social issues the most important issue of 2016. Trump supporters, on the other hand, cared most about the economy.

Enthusiasm Levels:

• 38 percent of Trump supporters are very enthusiastic about Trump
• 30 percent of Clinton supporters are very enthusiastic about Clinton

For both candidates, about 30 percent of supporters said they were either “not at all” or “not so enthusiastic” about the candidate they are supporting.

Who is more knowledgeable on policy issues?

• 83 percent said Clinton, 17 percent said Trump

Who has a better temperament to lead America?

• 88 percent said Clinton, 12 percent said Trump

Who do you trust more?

• 69 percent said Clinton, 31 percent said Trump

How much does the election matter for America’s future?

• 83 percent: A great deal
• 16 percent: Somewhat
• 1 percent: Does not matter