How America is Failing its Young Voters: A Look at Low Turnout Amongst the Youth

By Jacob Barnsley

In the United States and around the world, young people consistently vote less than their elders. In the 2016 presidential election, fewer than half of Americans aged 18 to 29 cast their vote, a 15-point gap compared to the overall turnout. This trend is not unique to the United States; a recent analysis of turnout in two dozen countries revealed that young people have lower voting rates than the general population in every country.

The sample of two dozen countries is not representative of all nations, as they are richer, more democratic, and more literate than the 168 countries that were contacted but did not have youth turnout data available. Nonetheless, the trends in the analysed countries are illustrative.

Political science research has identified three themes that help explain the gap in young voters: habit formation, opportunity cost, and alternative participation. Voting is a habit that is formed over time, and young people have had fewer opportunities to form and reinforce this habit compared to their elders. The habit is also reinforced externally, as people of all ages are influenced by what they see their peers doing. Older people are more likely to have observed friends making the choice to vote over multiple election cycles, which reinforces their habit of voting.

Voting for the first or second time may be harder than voting in subsequent elections due to direct and indirect opportunity costs. Young adults may have less flexible employment schedules, less financial cushion to take time off to vote, or be in temporary housing situations where they lack deep community ties. Learning the process of voting, such as finding a polling place and learning about the candidates, can also be a challenge for first-time voters.

In the United States, some of these obstacles were, or still are, intentional, and tied to a legacy of slavery and racism. Voter ID laws, for example, may disproportionately affect low-propensity voters, including young people. The politically powerful may not see raising voter turnout among all cohorts as a universal goal.

Despite these challenges, young people are participating in other forms of political action, such as mass protests, occupy movements, and increased use of social media as a new platform of political engagement. The rise of these alternative forms of citizen activism suggests that the problem does not come down to lack of interest among young people.

Among the 24 countries analysed, the difference between youth and general turnout ranged from less than a percentage point to more than 20 points. The United States fares particularly dismally, with the fifth-lowest youth turnout in the sample and the fourth-biggest gap between youth and overall turnout.

To close, young people consistently vote less than their elders, but this is not due to a lack of interest. Political science research has identified habit formation, opportunity cost, and alternative participation as reasons for the gap in young voters. The problem is particularly pronounced in the United States, which has the fifth-lowest youth turnout in the analysed sample of two dozen countries. Nonetheless, young people are participating in other forms of political action, suggesting that the problem does not come down to a lack of interest.