2016 Election Center
Young people were engaged throughout the 2016 presidential election cycle, from the primaries to the general election, despite the fact that their preferred candidates did not prevail. On the Democratic side, they powered Bernie Sanders' formidable challenge for that party's nomination, overwhelmingly supporting him in his race against the eventual nominee, Hillary Clinton. On the Republican side, Donald Trump for most of the primary Donald Trump was not young voters' preferred candidate, but he nonetheless won—as he did in the general election despite only winning just over a third of youth.
Explore our most important data, analysis, and commentary on the 2016 election:
Quick Facts
- Youth Turnout: Based on voter file data, we estimate that 39% of voting-eligible young people (ages 18-29) cast a ballot in 2016.
- Youth Choice: 55% of young people voted for Hillary Clinton, while 37% supported Donald Trump. The remaining 8% of youth voted for a third-party candidate or did not cast a ballot for president. Nationally, young people favored Democratic candidates for the House of Representatives by 55% to 40%
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Latest 2016 Research
Are Political Parties and Campaigns Reaching Young People in Civic Deserts?
Why Youth Don’t Vote: Differences by Race and Education
Millennials' Diverse Political Views: A Typology of the Rising Generation
Major 2016 Research Areas
The 2016 presidential election gave young people two starkly different choices. Through exclusive CIRCLE polling and other data, we sought to understand how young people felt about the presidential race, and about Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump as candidates. We also explored how young people felt after an election in which a candidate that they had overwhelmingly rejected at the polls nonetheless prevailed.
CIRCLE provided extensive data and analysis of youth participation in both parties' primaries, including exclusive youth turnout estimates for every state in which data was available. We also focused particular demographic factors in the youth electorate that may have shaped the results in key primaries, and we highlighted educational and outreach efforts in several states by organizations that used the election to promote broader youth civic engagement.
- Youth Voting in the 2016 Primaries
- College Student-Heavy Counties Played Major Role in Iowa Caucus
- African American Youth Support Clinton, Shape Results in South Carolina
- Young Voters in the 2016 South Carolina Republican Primary
- Young Women and Non-Black Youth Favored Sanders on Super Tuesday
- Race, Gender, Party Shaped the Republican Youth Vote on Super Tuesday
Both throughout the primaries and in the general election, young people were often sharply divided in their support by educational attainment and, especially, by race/ethnicity and gender. Our analyses sought to explore and understand these differences, both in terms what they meant for specific candidates and election results, and what they can tell us how young people with different identities and experiences are approaching politics and civic life.
- Why Youth Don't Vote: Differences by Race and Education
- Young Voters in the 2016 General Election
- Millennial Women and the 2016 Election
- College Student-Heavy Counties Played Major Role in Iowa Caucus
- African American Youth Support Clinton, Shape Results in South Carolina
- Young Women and Non-Black Youth Favored Sanders on Super Tuesday
- Race, Gender, Party Shaped the Republican Youth Vote on Super Tuesday