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Young people support ‘right-sizing the federal workforce, as was last done systematically under the Clinton/Gore administration,’ professor says

Nearly three in four college-age Americans support the efforts to cut wasteful spending by the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency, according to a new poll from Arc Insights and Vote 4 America.

The poll, which was conducted Feb. 4 and 5, found a strong majority of Americans (62 percent) support DOGE’s “efforts to reduce waste, fraud, and abuse.”

In a breakdown of the results, provided to The College Fix via email, 47 percent of voters ages 18 to 25 indicated that they voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election, while 45 percent voted for Kamala Harris; 2 percent voted for another candidate, and 6 percent did not vote.

Despite the even split along party lines, 71 percent said they support the Department of Government Efficiency’s cost-cutting goals. Of the more than 1,000 registered voters polled, 75 were between 18 and 25 years old.

President Donald Trump established the DOGE in an executive order on Jan. 20.

Since then, the department has cut close to $1 billion in spending by the Department of Education, including grants and other projects focused on “woke, “divisive ideologies.” Led by billionaire Elon Musk, DOGE also unearthed records showing that USAID funded an al Qaeda terrorist’s college tuition, The Fix reported.

In the poll, 71 percent of college-age voters responded that they “believe waste, fraud, and abuse is a serious problem inside the U.S. government,” and 53 percent supported cutting foreign aid to balance the budget.

Furthermore, 43 percent directly supported the Trump administration’s billions of dollars in spending cuts so far this year, while 33 percent opposed them, and 24 percent responded “unsure.”

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Lumping together all age groups, the poll found 62 percent support DOGE’s work, and 65 percent would cut foreign aid to balance the U.S. budget

Lee McKnight, professor at Syracuse University School of Information Studies, said he was unsurprised by the results in an email conversation with The Fix.

McKnight said the 71 percent in support of DOGE “is significantly higher than general polling of other age groups, but a plausible finding given Elon’s popularity in that demographic.”

In regards to the 43 percent who support the specific cuts that already have been made, he said, “Youth and fresh graduate employment prospect impacts of federal policies led by DOGE to shift more resources to the uber-wealthy is unsurprisingly not something all young people appreciate.”

“Having said that … periodically right-sizing the federal workforce, as was last done systematically under the Clinton/Gore administration 30 years ago, is something I believe young people generally appreciate as these polling numbers show,” the professor said.

McKnight also recently spoke about DOGE in an interview with Spectrum Local News, saying a new agency is not uncommon under a new president. He pointed to his own work as a former MIT lecturer who “helped to initially monetize the internet” as part of a special committee under President Bill Clinton’s administration.

However, he also mentioned concerns about “conflicts of interest” at DOGE due to Musk’s company SpaceX having contracts with the government.

More than a dozen state attorneys general are suing DOGE, alleging its actions are unconstitutional because Musk was not confirmed by the U.S. Senate, the AP reports.

But voters support the cuts that it’s making, the Vote 4 America poll found.

“These results send a clear message to Washington – the vast majority of Americans want serious action on fiscal responsibility,” Vote 4 America founder Stephen Aaron stated in a news release provided to The Fix. The conservative organization is focused on increasing voter engagement.

“Voters across the political spectrum support smart reforms that rein in wasteful spending and prioritize accountability,” Aaron said. “The overwhelming support for the activities of Department of Government Efficiency – regardless of public support for Elon himself – demonstrates the public’s demand for a streamlined, cost-effective government.”

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