With the conclusion of the second American presidential debate and election day approaching on Nov. 8, polls continue to show what Americans, especially youth, think about the current election.
A Gallup poll released on Sept. 26 found that the amount of American youth who said they would “definitely vote” this election had decreased significantly since the election in 2012. Roughly 47 per cent of youth aged 18-34 reported they will definitely vote this election, compared to 58 per cent of youth who said the same in 2012.
However, 72 per cent of Americans aged 34-55 said they would definitely vote.
The decrease in youth voter engagement this election is not a surprising statistic, according to Scott Edward Bennett, a political science professor with expertise in public opinion and polling methodology at Carleton University.
“Younger Americans are not as energized by the current candidates as they were by the candidates in 2012, particularly Obama,” Bennett said via email. “On top of this, many young Democrats are disappointed with the way Bernie Sanders was treated by the Democratic Party. He was not of their generation but did have a lot of policies they liked.”
Bennett added that many Americans of all ages are disappointed with the Obama government.
“There will be a period of time when people give up on politics because it seems to be a source of false hope. We have seen this before,” he said.
Older generations are more likely to vote than younger people, according to Bennett.
“This is partly a generational effect with the hyper-political boomers, but it has almost always been the case to some extent,” he said. “It also has to do with who [is] most at risk in terms of taxes and benefits.”
Gallup data shows that the percentage of Americans over the age of 55 who said they will definitely vote has remained above 80 per cent since at least 2000. But this is expected, according to both Bennett and Carleton professor Melissa Haussman, who teaches political science and specializes in American politics.
Haussman said that younger people are less likely to vote, regardless of the situation.
“The longer one stays within the voting system, the more likely one is to vote,” she said. “It’s a feeling of citizenship and civil duty and requirement that gets reinforced over time.”
Carleton student Megan Oldfield said politicians should be relatable, which is one reason she supported Sanders as a presidential candidate.
“I did like [him], because he really went out of his way to connect with the people,” Oldfield said. “Trump and Clinton just don’t do that the way that he did.”
A GenForward poll published Oct. 3 also looked at youth during the election, surveying people aged 18-30. According to the poll, young people of colour tend to support Hillary Clinton more than Donald Trump, while white youth were divided between candidates.
However, “young people of all races and ethnicities say reducing student debt, increasing wages, and reducing income inequality are the key economic issues for the next president to address,” a release from GenForward said.
Bennett said the Gallup and GenFoward polls are reputable sources, but noted there are currently many election polls and surveys that represent “pseudo facts and hysterics.”
He said he thinks young people “should inform themselves as to how political outcomes will affect their prospects.”
