Fourth-graders weigh in on 2024 presidential candidates

CNN recently conducted interviews with a group of 10- and 11-year-olds as part of a study on their views of the 2024 presidential candidates, including Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. The responses were surprisingly blunt and at times harsh, especially toward Harris, the Democratic nominee.

During a segment aired by CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Arizona State University professor Asheley Landrum asked the children for their first thoughts when they heard the name Kamala Harris. The most striking response came from a Texas boy who quickly labeled Harris a “liar.” Another participant, a young Black girl, commented, “It’d be good for us to have a Black woman as president for the first time in history, but my vote’s kind of still on Trump.”

Landrum, who has a Ph.D. in psychological sciences, along with Stanford political scientist Shanto Iyengar, conducted the study, interviewing children from New Jersey, Texas, and Arizona in May and September. The study found that kids in blue states, like New Jersey, were significantly more critical of Trump than children in Republican-leaning areas were of Harris.

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Critical views on gender and leadership

Some responses from the children centered on gender stereotypes. One Texas girl expressed skepticism about Harris’s suitability for the presidency, stating, “I just don’t think a woman would be right for our president,” and elaborated that “only boys have been president before and that they would be more stronger.” The same girl went on to describe Kamala Harris as “selfish,” commenting, “girls are a little dramatic sometimes.”

Political leanings reflected in children’s opinions

The study’s results showed a clear partisan divide. In Democrat-leaning states, children were nine times more likely to express negative emotions toward Trump than their Republican counterparts were toward Kamala Harris.

One New Jersey girl described Trump as “pure evil” when asked for a one-word description, while a Texas girl praised him for “giving his life and his heart.”

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Nearly a third of the children focused on Trump’s legal issues, particularly his “convicted felon” status due to the hush money case in Manhattan. The boy who called Kamala Harris a “liar” was asked if it was acceptable for a convicted felon to run for president. Without hesitation, he replied, “Yes.”

Controversy surrounding the study

CNN refers to Landrum as a “psychologist” who holds a PhD in psychological sciences. Despite this, she teaches at ASU’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The study also involved Stanford political scientist Shanto Iyengar, and CNN published it as an article on Thursday.

In July, while surveying with children, Landrum donated $20 to Harris’ super PAC. In an email to The Post on Friday, she explained that she had been “recruited” by CNN producers “to collaborate on an investigative report examining children’s attitudes toward the presidential candidates.” She also stated that she was “happy to disclose” her status as a Harris donor and a registered independent in Arizona.

Landrum emphasized that while the study was conducted to academic standards, it was not intended for publication in a scholarly journal but rather as part of a CNN report.

“The report is a study that was done to the standards of an academic study, but as I did not do the work through the university and it is being published on CNN, I am not publishing it in a scholarly journal,” Landrum said.