Reports Indicate High Turnout of Young Voters, Strong Support for Kerry among College Students

Contrary to some early media reports, the turnout of young voters was up sharply in this November's elections, according to an analysis of exit poll results and a follow-up survey by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). Although their share of the total vote remained roughly the same, about 1.8 million more eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds voted this year than in the 2000 presidential election, CIRCLE estimates. CIRCLE's analysis also reveal that young voters favored the Democratic ticket over the Republican ticket by a moderate margin, and that young voters differed from the electorate as a whole on issues such as gay marriage and the role of government. In a separate study, the Chronicle of Higher Education reported that the Democratic advantage was more pronounced among college students than among young voters in general. Even in states that were easily carried by President Bush, many campuses voted for Kerry by a wide margin.

FINDINGS

Early Estimates of the Youth Turnout

1. More than half of the eligible under-thirty population voted in November 2004—the highest level of turnout in more than a decade.
2. Approximately 77 percent of college students cast ballots in this year's presidential election.
3. Among all eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds, the turnout was approximately 42.3 percent, up from 36.5 percent in 2000.
4. Eighteen- to twenty-four-year-olds' share of the total vote stayed about the same as in 2000, at around 9 percent; their share of the eligible voting population also stayed about the same.
   
   

Attitudes and Values of Young Voters

1. A majority of young voters favored the Democratic ticket, with 54 percent of eighteen- to twenty-nine-year-old voters supporting Kerry and 45 percent supporting Bush.
2. Support for Kerry was stronger among full-time college students than among other young voters: according to a survey conducted by Declare Yourself, 59 percent of college students supported Kerry and only 38 percent supported Bush.
3. Twenty-two percent of under-thirty voters selected "moral values" as the single most important voting issue—exactly the same rate as in the overall electorate.
4. Forty-one percent of under-thirty voters said that gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to marry, compared to 25 percent of all voters.
5. Fifty-six percent of under-thirty voters believe that "government should do more to solve problems," compared to 46 percent of all voters.
   

Fact sheets (PDF) detailing the exit poll results and the results of a survey of college students can be downloaded at CIRCLE's Web site. Declare Yourself, a nonprofit campaign to rally young voters, recently released a survey (PDF) that offers further insight into the political engagement of young Americans. An article from The Chronicle of Higher Education that discusses this survey and other election data can be accessed online (Chronicle subscribers only)

DID YOU KNOW?

• Under-thirty voters were the only age group to prefer the Democratic ticket over the Republican ticket in the November elections.
• At nine of twelve campuses examined by the Chronicle of Higher Education, students supported Kerry over Bush by more than 20 points.
• Under-thirty voters were more likely to identify as liberal by 12 points—and less likely to identify as conservative by 7 points—than "Generation X" voters who are currently in their thirties.
• Sixty-four percent of first-time voters in this election were under thirty.