2020 election wave 2 research report
November 6, 2020
Introduction
The research team at Cause and Social Influence tracks the behaviors and motivations of young Americans (age 18-30) related to social issues and major moments. The 2020 presidential election was such a moment. We published our first election report in October - Influencing Young America to Act – 2020 Election Wave 1 Research Report.
Methodology
The following key findings are from our second survey, fielded from 8 to 11:30 a.m. EST on Nov. 4, one day after Election Day. They represent behaviors by and influences on young Americans in the 30 days leading up to Nov. 3 and on Election Day itself. The full demographic profile of the sample (n=1018) is at the end of this page.
Political Actions
When asked what actions they took in the last 30 days and on Election Day, young Americans responded in the following ways (see table for top 5 responses). Most said they took these actions because they saw the opportunity in an advertisement online or in social media (36%) or because a cause or organization they follow asked them to act (29%).
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Voting
When asked to rate the importance of voting in this election, almost 75% said it was “extremely” or “very” important. This coincides with the next data point: how many young Americans voted.
Per this nationally representative sample, 76% of young Americans voted in the 2020 election. For those who did not vote (24%), they gave the following as the top 5 reasons:
Voting Experience
In response to questions about their voting experience, 57% of young Americans said they went to the polls with other people (friends, family, coworkers) to vote. A little over a quarter, 27%, waited more than 2 hours to vote, but this did not seem to affect their experience negatively.