Students critical of both Trump, media, journalism poll shows

A new poll finds Oakland University students overwhelmingly disapprove of President Donald Trump’s performance, but half of respondents said the administration has not been treated fairly by media.

The survey of 300 participants in mid-September highlighted the environment, economy and equality as key areas for Trump to improve on. The most common concern is soaring tuition, reflecting widespread student concern about the state of education in America.

Abdullah Shah, a senior studying engineering, worries about “drowning in debt before you even get out of school.” College costs continue to rise nationwide, with Oakland hiking tuition significantly in recent years, including a nearly 4 percent rise for the current academic year.

“I am concerned with how expensive college is and I do not think that the Trump administration is really focusing or concerned on that at all right now,” Emily Villalpando, a sophomore studying nursing, said.

More than three-quarters of the students polled are employed, but low wages, health-care accessibility and taxes are concerns.

Slightly more than half of the students are less optimistic than they were when Trump took office eight months ago, a view fueled by the widening ideological split on important issues. The poll, conducted by students enrolled in journalism classes, was taken shortly after violent protests erupted in Charlottesville, Va., and continued criticism of the administration’s handling of immigration policies.

Some students said the Trump administration must tread carefully on immigration matters. Several students, citing recent decisions regarding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, said the president could risk blocking people from the U.S. who make America better.

Wyatt House, a 19-year-old sophomore studying finance, said he approves of the president’s performance, saying “he’s doing the best he can.” Viewing the performance as a business major, House said the country is “trending upward” and is hoping Trump continues to beef up his “focus” on the U.S. as a whole.

Only 17 percent of those polled said Trump is concerned about the things that most matter to them. Oakland’s 18 percent approval rating is far below national averages, with a recent report by RealClearPolitics estimating the average approval rating stands at about 37 percent, according to an aggregate of multiple polls.

The net difference of those approving and disapproving of Trump’s performance is particularly noteworthy, even on college campuses where respondents can tend to be more liberal or independent. Nearly one-third of those surveyed identified as Democrats, and more than 25 percent are independent.  A fifth of the respondents were Republicans.

A 54-point net difference in approval vs. disapproval rating appears to be driven by frustration with a lack of progress on important issues, increased social tension and so-called pocketbook issues that affect the financial well-being of voters.

Coverage of the Trump administration is not helping clear up conflicting views of the president, according to students. More than 50 percent of those polled said newspapers, broadcasters and other outlets do not treat Trump fairly.

“The media always seem to attack his character a lot instead of analyzing what is actually going on,” said Adeline Perhogan, politically-independent sophomore studying secondary education. “They just talk about him as a person and they don’t go in depth about politics.”

Many students characterized Trump’s relationship with the media as akin to war, and some drew stark contrasts with the former President Barack Obama’s treatment of the media and the resulting coverage.  The question of which side is telling the truth has emerged as a central concern, reflecting the broader debate in America over “fake news.”

“The things he says aren’t completely truthful, so [the media] is supposed to put him in his place,” Daniel Korkis, a junior studying biology, said. He said the media needs to be bigger, careful not to fight misinformation with more misinformation.

“They are making him sound worse than he is,” Merritt Fox, a freshman studying biomedical sciences, said.

Others say journalists are and political pundits are too soft. “The media isn’t accurately portraying the danger he’s putting people in,” one student, requesting to stay anonymous, said. Others said the media “nitpick” too much and are too easily provoked by Trump’s criticisms or political differences.

Trump is known for use of Twitter to say provocative things that stir media coverage and public discourse.  Tweets recently posted and aimed at everyone from opponents to health-care reform to star athletes.

Taylor Smith, a politically-independent freshman studying studio art, said Trump “has no filter and he can improve on that.”

Abigail Makelim, a marketing major in her sophomore year, said she approves of the president’s performance, but wants him to focus on jobs. “Trump is more of a businessman rather than a politician,” she said.