How old should the President of the United States be? – survey

The Pew Research Center conducted a survey of what age Americans believed the President of the United States should be ahead of the 2024 presidential elections. 

Pew collected data from 5,115 US citizens from June 5 until June 11, 2023.

The survey found that the age of the participant dramatically impacted their opinion of what the optimum age for the president should be. 

Age differences in perceptions of optimum presidential age

Younger adults, compared to older adults, were more likely to state that they felt that the president should be in their 30s-40s age range. 48% of adults aged under 30 years old felt this way, while only 6% of older adults felt that this was the optimum age for the president.

Adults over the age of 50 years old expressed a preference for a president over the age of 60 years old, while only 11% of adults aged under 30 years old felt the same. 

Political affiliations and belief in presidential optimum age

While opinions on the optimum presidential age are widely different amongst different age groups, political affiliation does not have as significant an impact on this belief. 

Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are only slightly more likely to want a president in their 30s-40s at a rate of 25%. Only 15% of Republicans want a president within this age range. 

Pew accounts for this 10% difference by attributing it to the age composition of political affiliation.