CIRCLE's 2022 Youth Electoral Significance Index | CIRCLE
CIRCLE is providing data-driven insights about the elections where youth are poised to have a disproportionately high electoral impact.| circle.tufts.edu
CIRCLE is providing data-driven insights about the elections where youth are poised to have a disproportionately high electoral impact.| circle.tufts.edu
When many members of the public talk about young people's civic and political participation, they often rely on and perpetuate myths about youth voting and youth attitudes toward civic life. These myths can reflect a lack of understanding of the complex dynamics that shape young people's engagement in democracy. At best, they paint an incomplete picture of these dynamics; at worst, they misrepresent them entirely.| circle.tufts.edu
Lead Authors: Ruby Belle Booth, Alberto Medina Contributors: Abby Kiesa, Peter de Guzman| circle.tufts.edu
Lead Author: Peter de Guzman Contributors: Alberto Medina, Kelly Siegel-Stechler| circle.tufts.edu
Much has been written about “Millennial” participation in politics, but the youngest eligible voters in the 2018 midterms belong to the post-Millennial generation, sometimes called Generation Z. These young people, born after the mid-90s, grew up with the Internet, smartphones, and social media while watching news of school shootings and having active-shooter drills in their own classrooms. They also grew up watching, and sometimes joining, movements for more equality, fairness, and safet...| circle.tufts.edu
Lead Author: Peter de Guzman Contributors: Jamie Frye, Megan Lam, Alberto Medina, Sara Suzuki| circle.tufts.edu
CIRCLE Growing Voters is a paradigm-shifting framework for developing the next generation of voters. Based on rigorous, comprehensive research, including findings from an exclusive survey of teens, it serves as a guide for every institution and community to play a role in this work. The report includes actionable recommendations for educators, organizers, policymakers, journalists, funders, families, young leaders, and more. Read the executive summary and explore the full report below.| circle.tufts.edu
Election Day served as the culmination of an unprecedented election cycle shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, a nationwide movement for racial justice, and the boundless energy of young people who made their voices heard in the streets and at the ballot box. Our research reveals that young voters increased their turnout in 2020; they made the difference in key battleground states; and the participation and overwhelming support for President-elect Joe Biden from youth of color was one of the defi...| circle.tufts.edu
Note: This analysis was updated on March 10 with revised data. The previous version understated the extent to which social media and digital platforms were a source of election information for youth during the 2020 election. We have updated our analysis and conclusions to reflect the accurate data.| circle.tufts.edu
The 2018 election was the most expensive midterm in modern history, costing $5 billion. While these funds go to many expenses, a significant portion is spent by groups engaging in voter registration, education, and mobilization. The extent to which this voter outreach focuses on youth, many of whom may be newly eligible voters, can tell us a lot about an election. Young voters need to know when and how to register; when, where, and how to vote; and information about the races and candidates.| circle.tufts.edu
Our research over the past two decades has shown that youth voter participation is a matter of access, opportunities, and infrastructure conducive to voter registration and electoral engagement.| circle.tufts.edu
The 2024 general election was a major opportunity for youth to exercise their democratic rights, use their political voices, and shape the future of the country. As part of our work to understand young people’s civic learning and participation, we tracked major trends about the youth vote and continue to share key data about young people’s participation, priorities, and choices at the ballot box. Below you'll find:| circle.tufts.edu
The 2018 midterm elections featured historic highs in campaign spending, media coverage, voter turnout rate, and overall attention and excitement—particularly among young people. For many, that election was also a “year of the woman” in which more than 30 women were elected to Congress for the first time. The 2018 election built on Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential run, the Women’s March, the #MeToo movement and other notable events that have mobilized and inspired young women to ...| circle.tufts.edu
According to day-after estimates from the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life, 27% of young people (ages 18-29) turned out to vote in the 2022 midterm election and helped decide critical races, wielding the growing power of a generation that is increasingly engaged even as many remain disillusioned about U.S. politics.| circle.tufts.edu
Lead Author: Ruby Belle Booth Contributors: Kelly Beadle, Abby Kiesa, Alberto Medina| circle.tufts.edu
This is the third analysis in our series examining the state-by-state turnout of young voters in the 2020 election.| circle.tufts.edu
When more—and more diverse—young people are politically engaged earlier in life, they are more likely to remain engaged in the future and to be part of an electorate that is more representative of the country, which should be a key goal of our democracy. The 2018 midterm elections saw an extraordinary increase in youth participation, but the youngest eligible voters—those aged 18 and 19—still voted at significantly lower rates.| circle.tufts.edu
The CIRCLE Youth Voting and Civic Engagement in America data tool includes a Facilitative Election Law score for each state. Research has shown that, just as some restrictive laws like ID requirements can negatively impact political engagement, facilitative election laws—especially related to voter registration—can have a positive effect.| circle.tufts.edu
MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. (Nov. 6, 2024)—Voter turnout among young people ages 18-29 was 42% (with +/- 1% margin of error) overall in the 2024 presidential election, and much higher—50% on aggregate—in key battleground states across the country (GA, MI, NV, NC, PA, WI).| circle.tufts.edu
Young people had a major impact on the 2020 election. We recently estimated that half of youth (ages 18-29) cast a ballot last November—a remarkable 11-point increase over youth voter turnout in 2016.| circle.tufts.edu
Authors: Alberto Medina, Sara Suzuki Contributors: Peter de Guzman, Lily Feng, Katie Hilton| circle.tufts.edu
Lead author: Ruby Belle Booth Contributors: Alberto Medina, Sara Suzuki| circle.tufts.edu
Authors: Peter de Guzman, Alberto Medina Contributors: Kate Hilton, Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, Abby Kiesa, Kelly Siegel-Stechler, Sara Suzuki| circle.tufts.edu
Note: Updated on 5/2 with newly released turnout data for South Carolina. New estimates of youth voter turnout in the 2022 midterm elections highlight major variations and inequities in young people’s electoral participation across the country. Youth turnout ranged from as high as 37% in some states to as low as 13% in others.| circle.tufts.edu
We estimate that 50% of young people, ages 18-29, voted in the 2020 presidential election, a remarkable 11-point increase from 2016 (39%) and likely one of the highest rates of youth electoral participation since the voting age was lowered to 18. Our new estimate is based on newly available voter file data in 41 states—AK, DC, HI, MD, MS, NH, ND, UT, WI, WY do not have reliable vote history data by age.| circle.tufts.edu
CIRCLE is a non-partisan, independent research organization focused on youth civic engagement in the United States.| circle.tufts.edu
Elections are a valuable opportunity for young people across the country to make their voices heard, support action on issues they care about, and grow as active voters and leaders in our democracy. Our research on the youth vote in the 2022 midterm election highlights how young people used their power, and the work that's still needed to ensure all youth are ready to participate in elections.| circle.tufts.edu
