From podcast appearances to celebrity endorsements, Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump have been doing everything they can to attract young voters to the polls in the final days of the 2024 presidential campaign.
For Harris, those efforts appear to be paying off.
A Harvard Youth Poll released Friday showed Harris leading Trump by 20 points nationally among registered voters under 30. Elections are underway in seven key battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin. The competition intensified and the lead over Harris dropped to nine points.
What is the secret to getting young people to vote? Potentially peer pressure. The study found that 18- to 29-year-olds who believed their friends were planning to vote were more than twice as likely to say they planned to vote as well.
John Della Volpe, head of polling at the Institute of Politics, said in a statement that both candidates’ policies, as well as the influence of their colleagues, “will influence youth turnout in this election and, ultimately, who becomes the next president.” He said that there is a possibility that it could affect whether the
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Young people are expected to play a key role in the outcome of the tightening race for the White House. Elections could be decided by close margins in a small number of states, and turnout from critical demographic groups could make up the difference.
Both Harris and Trump have sought to appeal to younger millennial and Gen Z voters in the final stages of their campaigns. President Trump has targeted indecisive young people with appearances on popular fight matches and podcasts hosted by YouTuber Logan Paul and others. Meanwhile, Harris is focusing on social media campaigns and endorsements from celebrities such as Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish to increase her support among young women.
These strategies are evidenced by the significant and growing gender disparity.
When President Joe Biden was running for president in 2024 earlier this year, his lead among young women was 9 points higher among young men. With Harris becoming the Democratic candidate, the gender gap widened to 20 percentage points. Harris currently leads by 10 percentage points among young men and by a whopping 30 percentage points among young women.
And gender disparity does not only exist among young people. In the latest USA TODAY/Suffolk University poll, 53% of women said they supported Harris, while 53% of men said they supported Trump.
Some young people who support Trump may be less likely to vote, according to a Harvard Youth Poll. The poll found Mr. Trump had an 11-point lead among young people, who are less likely to vote, and Ms. Harris had a lead among likely men.
The poll was conducted from October 3rd to 14th and surveyed 2,001 Americans between the ages of 18 and 29. The margin of error for the entire sample was +/- 2.64%. When looking specifically at registered voters, it rose to +/- 3.05%, and for questions surveying likely voters, it rose to +/- 3.61%.
