NEWSWEEK GENEXT Poll: Kerry Continues To Lead Among Young Voters

Washington, DC -- Kerry (48%) holds on to his lead over Bush (41%) among under-30 voters in the latest GENEXT poll conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs for Newsweek.com. Among their respective supporters, Kerry and Bush have equally strong allegiance. Half of those who declare support or Kerry (54%) and Bush (57%) say they will "definitely" vote for their candidate in November. Strong Kerry supporters tend to be found among residents of urban areas (38%) and the western U.S. (30%), those who are unmarried (30%) and have no children (29%), and renters (28%) or those living with their parents (29%). Strong Bush supporters are more common among men (27%), those in their late 20s (28% of those age 26-29), white (28%), rural residents (30%), married people (35%) and homeowners (34%). [+] click to enlarge [+] click to enlarge [+] click to enlarge Half of Young Voters Will Tune In To Some of Democratic Convention With the Democratic Party's national convention beginning today, this latest GENEXT poll shows that a quarter of registered voters under age 30 say they will watch "most" (19%) or "all" (5%) of the television coverage of the conference. Others will watch "some" (33%) or "a little" (24%) and only one in five (19%) admit they will not watch any coverage at all. The viewers will not all be Democrats, either. Sizeable minorities of Republicans (17% most or all) as well as Democrats (29%) plan to watch a good part of the coverage. The least interested are declared Independents (41% none). [+] click to enlarge Democrats Seen To Care About Young Voters' Issues Although the Democratic Party's convention isn't receiving very strong interest from young voters, six in ten (62%) say the party "cares about the issues facing people my age." This includes not only most Democrats (73%) but also half of Republicans (48%). Agreement that the Democratic Party cares about issues relevant to young adults also tends to be found among:

• Women (69%) - evidence that the gender gap persists
• Younger voters (73% age 18-21)
• Women with a high school education or less (73%)
• Those who are employed part time (75%)
• As well as strong Kerry supporters (75%).

One implication suggested by these findings is that one young, working class and less educated women can be won over by the Democrats, although they face the challenge of getting this group to come out and vote on the day. The belief that the Democratic Party does not care about issues relevant to young people is most prevalent among Republicans (50%) and more specifically, strong Bush supporters (64% disagree). [+] click to enlarge More young voters agree (53%) than disagree (45%) that the Democratic Party is "too liberal." It is no surprise that 86% of Republicans say the Democratic Party is "too liberal," but 28% of Democratic voters and 47% of Independents agree with them. Responses on whether or not the Democratic Party is too indebted to special interests or whether Kerry dates himself by talking about Vietnam appear driven by partisan leanings, but not as intensely as the issue of being "too liberal." It Matters Who Wins In November Hands down, young voters say it matters who will be giving the inauguration speech next January. Nine in ten (90%) say it matters who wins the presidential election this year, seven in ten (69%) say it matters "a great deal." Belief that the election matters "a great deal" is stronger among:

• Democratic women (81%)
• Those saying the country is "on the wrong track" (75%)
• Strong Kerry supporters (86%) and strong Bush supporters (80%)
• Residents of the western U.S. (78%)

[+] click to enlarge This month's Newsweek.com/Ipsos GENEXT poll shows that attitudes toward the Bush administration are slightly less negative than a month ago. A narrow majority continues to think the country is headed down the wrong track, and more continue to disapprove than approve of the President's handling of his job as President. However, the share who "strongly disapprove" of Bush's overall job as president (35%) is as high as it has been since the start of the year. [+] click to enlarge [+] click to enlarge Bush has gained some points among young voters for his handling of domestic policy. Approval of Bush's handling of the economy is up 5 points from last month (48%, from 43%), and approval of his handling of other domestic issues is also up (45%, from 40%). Young voters continue to rate the President's handling of foreign policy and the war on terrorism remain more negatively than positively. A majority (56%) disapprove of Bush's handling of Iraq (60% in June, 55% in May), with strong disapproval gaining ground over time. [+] click to enlarge [+] click to enlarge [+] click to enlarge Note: Registered voters 18-29 year-old from Newsweek.com/Ipsos Poll. All registered voters from AP/Ipsos Poll. National poll of voters of all ages. The Newsweek.com/GENEXT Poll is conducted by Ipsos-Public Affairs. Between July 5-22, 2004, Ipsos poll interviewed a representative sample of 350 registered voters age 18 to 29. The margin of error is +/- 5.1. Read the Newsweek.com Web Exclusive Report by Brian Braiker. Download the Topline Results here. For more information on this press release, please contact: Janice Bell Director, Ipsos Public Affairs Washington, D.C. 202.463.7300 About Ipsos Public Affairs Ipsos Public Affairs, headquartered in Washington D.C., is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research company made up of campaign and political polling veterans as well as seasoned research professionals. The company conducts strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of American and international organizations, based not only on public opinion research but often elite stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion research. It has offices in New York City, Chicago, San Ramon (CA), and Washington, with affiliates around the world. Ipsos Public Affairs conducts national and international public opinion polling on behalf of The Associated Press, the world's oldest and largest news organization, and conducts the young voters poll for Newsweek.com. Ipsos Public Affairs is an Ipsos company, a leading global survey-based market research group. To learn more, visit: www.ipsos-na.com/news/pa About Ipsos Ipsos is a leading global survey-based market research company, owned and managed by research professionals. Ipsos helps interpret, simulate, and anticipate the needs and reactions of consumers, customers, and citizens around the world. Member companies assess market potential and interpret market trends. They develop and build brands. They help clients build long-term relationships with their customers. They test advertising and study audience responses to various media. They measure public opinion around the globe. Ipsos member companies offer expertise in advertising, customer loyalty, marketing, media, and public affairs research, as well as forecasting and modeling and consulting. Ipsos has a full line of custom, syndicated, omnibus, panel, and online research products and services, guided by industry experts and bolstered by advanced analytics and methodologies. The company was founded in 1975 and has been publicly traded since 1999. In 2003, Ipsos generated global revenues of $644.2 million U.S. To learn more, visit: www.ipsos.com Ipsos is listed on the Euronext Paris Premier Marchй, and is part of the SBF 120 and Next Prime Indices as well as eligible to the Deferred Settlement System (SRD). Euroclear code 7329, Reuters ISOS.LN, Bloomberg IPS FP