In the News

“In places like Pennsylvania and Georgia and Arizona, we see that the strength of support from young people of color, in particular, can be enormously powerful on the state level,” said CIRCLE Deputy Director Abby Kiesa

Youth voter participation is generally trending upward, with 50% of young people ages 18-29 voting in the 2020 presidential election. That was likely one of the highest rates of youth electoral participation since the voting age was lowered to 18," according to CIRCLE.

Twenty seven percent, compared with 5% in 2016, of young adults indicated that they had participated in street protests, and more than half responded that they had actively worked to encourage their peers to vote. Eighty three percent said that they believe young people have the power to change the country.

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.

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.