By Cam E. Kettles and Jack R. Trapanick

The leftward skew on Harvard’s campus has long been a grievance of the American right, but over the last three years, it took on new political potency — and Harvard’s leaders have suggested they may undertake a concerted effort to introduce more conservative perspectives on campus. Just last month, Harvard announced it was seeking $10 million to endow professorships to increase “viewpoint diversity” among faculty.

Though the Class of 2026, like previous graduating classes, leans strongly to the left, seniors as a whole did not become more progressive during their time at Harvard, according to The Crimson’s survey. Instead, the class’s self-identified political leanings moderated slightly.

Nonetheless, seniors across the political spectrum share the belief that America is on the wrong track. Harvard’s graduating class is deeply averse to Donald Trump’s presidency. But few students feel satisfied with the opposition — support for the Democratic Party fell to a new low.

Wars in the Middle East — which have put Harvard students at the center of Americans’ political conversations about free speech, antisemitism, and the Israel-Palestine conflict since 2023 — continued to shape Harvard seniors’ political views. Respondents decried the war in Iran, and support for boycotts of Israel rose on the 2026 survey.

Political Affiliations

As has long been the case, Harvard’s students remain overwhelmingly left-leaning. A steady 66 percent of graduating seniors identified themselves as either somewhat or very progressive, while just 10 percent said they were conservative to any degree, a statistic sure to sustain critics’ complaints about political balance at the University.

Like last year’s graduating class, however, the Class of 2026 reported becoming slightly less progressive during their time at Harvard. Over their four years, students’ political leanings shifted slightly toward the center: about 4 percentage points fewer students identified as progressive at the end of their time at college, while 4 percentage points more identified as moderate.

Amid efforts by Harvard College administrators to increase students’ exposure to diverse viewpoints, seniors still said they still lean toward political insularity in their social lives. About 63 percent of students said most or all of their friends share their political views, and 57 percent of students said that they would not date someone who voted for the opposing party in the last election.

In terms of party registration, students’ progressive leanings did not always translate into Democratic affiliation. Of respondents living in the U.S. states, 52 percent said they were registered Democrats. Registered Republicans made up less than 10 percent of the class.

Approval Ratings

Despite a strong majority of respondents reporting progressive political sentiments, only 3 graduating seniors said they view the Democratic Party very favorably and just 34 percent said they view the party at least somewhat favorably, down 2 percentage points from last year. Even among registered Democrats, less than half said they view their party favorably, and 37 percent of respondents said they view the party unfavorably.

President Donald Trump’s approval ratings stayed consistently unfavorable among seniors over the first year of his presidency. A staggering 92 percent of the class views the president unfavorably — mirroring the Class of 2025 — including 84 percent who view him very unfavorably.

Both his vice president, JD Vance, and the Republican Party were similarly unpopular, each garnering support from less than 6 percent of the graduating class. The results are in line with national polling, as Trump’s national approval ratings hit a record second-term low of 37 percent last week, driven in large part by the war in Iran and cost of living concerns.

Among Harvard seniors, the Trump administration’s war with Iran is especially unfavorable. Nearly 80 percent of respondents said they have an unfavorable view of the operation — 60 percent said they see the war as very unfavorable — compared to less than 4 percent who have a positive view.

Seniors reported continued support for the pro-Palestine Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions movement as Israel’s war in Gaza continues into its third year and after a sharp increase in Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon.

More than 40 percent of respondents view the movement favorably, increasing 5 percentage points from last year’s graduating class. Only 11 percent said they have a favorable view of U.S. military aid to Israel. In contrast, more than 60 percent said they have a favorable view of U.S. military aid to Ukraine amid the Russia-Ukraine war.

Civic Engagement

Graduating seniors reported high levels of civic engagement: 94 percent of graduating seniors living in the U.S. states are registered to vote, and of those voters, 83 percent cast a ballot in last year’s presidential election.

Though Cambridge allows its student residents to register to vote in the city’s elections, just 30 respondents said they have registered to vote in the city — and even fewer had actually voted in the last city council and school committee races, with just 11 and 9 students voting in each, respectively.

Beyond Cambridge politics, 62 percent of students said they voted in their hometown’s elections, keeping up with their local races from within the Harvard bubble.

Though they remain engaged, the Class of 2026 is graduating with an exceptionally pessimistic outlook on national politics and the country’s future. Less than 3 percent said the country is heading in the right direction, and a whopping 89 percent said the country is heading down the wrong path.