Harris erases Trump’s lead on the economy: New CNBC/Generation Lab survey

Younger Americans do not appear to hold Vice President Kamala Harris responsible for what many of them believe is a worsening U.S. economy under the Biden-Harris administration, according to a new survey from CNBC and Generation Lab.

The latest quarterly Youth & Money Survey, taken after Biden dropped out of the race in July, reveals that 69% of Americans between 18 and 34 years old believe the economy is getting worse under President Joe Biden.

But they also think the candidate best able to improve the economy is Harris, not Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump.

Harris was viewed as the best candidate for the economy by 41% of poll respondents, while 40% chose Trump and another 19% said the economy would do better under someone else, like third party candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

The results amount to a seven point swing in Democrats’ favor on the economy since CNBC asked the same question in May’s Youth & Money Survey. At that time, only 34% of respondents believed Biden, then the likely Democratic nominee, was the best candidate to boost the economy, with 40% choosing Trump and 25% saying Kennedy.

The shift in support for Harris is even wider among respondents overall. If the presidential election were held today, the latest poll found Harris holding a 12 point lead over Trump among younger Americans, 46% to 34%, while 21% said they would vote for either Kennedy or another candidate.

Three months ago, the same survey found Trump and Biden effectively tied, with 36% for Biden and 35% for Trump, and 29% planning to vote for Kennedy.

This 10% jump in support for Harris today, up from where Biden was in May, is all the more notable because of how significant the economy is to the voting choices of younger Americans.

According to the new CNBC survey data, the “economy and cost of living” was cited more than any other issue when respondents were asked what will impact their decisions about who to vote for, with 66% of respondents naming it among their top three. Running second with 34% was “access to abortion and reproductive rights,” followed by “gun violence/control” at 26%.

Yet these results also contain warning signs for Harris and the Democratic party.

To win the White House, Harris will likely need to do even better among young people in November than her current 12 point lead in CNBC and Generation Lab’s survey.