In the News

In the 2018 midterms, 28.2 percent of Americans under 30 voted, according to a CIRCLE analysis. Democrats made broad gains in the House and in governor’s races that fall.

Young voters overwhelmingly cited climate change as one of their three top issues, said CIRCLE Deputy Director Abby Kiesa. And those who prioritized it exhibited what she called a “high civic readiness” — a likelihood to be involved in local and national organizations.

Young people’s confidence in our system of government and the future of our country is already a major concern. We see this moment as a call to action for state and local policymakers, election officials, organizations and campaigns.

The YESI is a valuable tool for stakeholders trying to engage youth in democracy, from Senate campaigns, to major nonpartisan voter engagement organizations, to student groups on college campuses.

Our Newhouse Director, Dr. Kei Kawashima-Ginsberg, speaks on the 1A show about the state of civic education in the United States and how civics should impart the knowledge and skills to participate in democracy.

"We have seen two important election cycles in a row where young people have been leading," says Abby Kiesa, CIRCLE's deputy director.

A 2018 poll found that young people ages 18 to 24 were three times more likely to have attended a march or demonstration than they were in 2016. The research also found that people who participated in offline activism were more likely to vote.

"It is not remotely unusual for economic issues, debt, to be top of mind for young Republicans," said Abby Kiesa, who has been polling young Americans for over a decade and is the deputy director of CIRCLE.

In the 2020 presidential election, about half of Americans between the ages 18 and 29 voted, according to the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University.