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The economy was the big issue for youth in 2024—especially for those who didn't vote

Economic concerns motivated many voters to go to the polls in 2024, but they were even bigger priorities for young Americans who did not vote, according to a new poll conducted by the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University's Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life.

The CIRCLE Post-2024 Election Poll, a nationally representative survey of young people ages 18–34, asked youth what motivated them to vote or not, what their issue priorities were, and whether campaigns and institutions did enough to reach out to them before the election.

The economy was top of mind for the non-voters, with 75% naming inflation/cost of living as one of their top three priorities, while 40% named jobs/unemployment. Among youth who did cast a ballot, those numbers were lower: 61% and 22%, respectively.

CIRCLE previously estimated that a smaller proportion of eligible youth voted in 2024 (about 42%) than in the 2020 election (up to an historic 55%). The new poll gives clues to the reason for the drop-off: Among youth who did not vote, 44% either did not like the candidates or said that the election wasn't important to them.

"This analysis makes clear that we're still not doing a good enough job as a society ensuring that all young people understand the value and importance of their vote—and that they have the information, tools and access to exercise that right," said Dayna Cunningham, Pierre and Pamela Omidyar Dean of Tisch College.

"And we must ask whether our political institutions are being responsive enough to young people's interests and priorities so that they'll feel excited about their options at the ballot box."

The economy and jobs are issues that many young people feel personally. Among all youth, 43% reported that they sometimes or often find it difficult to meet their basic financial needs. Among youth who didn't vote that number jumped to 62%.

"Our recent research shows that when young people are struggling, mentally or financially, that can negatively impact their participation in our democracy," said Kelly Siegel-Stechler, CIRCLE's director of research. "We need to look holistically at young people's lives and circumstances, and address some of these deeper challenges, if we want to support the civic engagement of all youth."

For those who did cast ballots, 46% said one of their primary motivations to vote was having an impact on the issues they care about. And whether they voted or not, those issues were wide-ranging: Asked for their top three issue priorities, 64% named the cost of living/inflation, 27% said abortion, 26% said climate change, and 24% named immigration.

Notably, even though there was much media speculation last year about the power of political endorsements by the likes of Bad Bunny and Taylor Swift, less than 1% of youth said they voted because of influencers and celebrities. In contrast, 40% said they feel a responsibility to vote, which underscores that many young people take their civic duty seriously.

Despite this interest, some youth continue to face structural, informational, and logistical barriers to participating in elections. Fourteen percent of youth who didn't register missed their registration deadline, and 12% said they didn't know how to register or had trouble with forms. Among youth who didn't vote, 14% said they didn't have enough information about the process or the candidates, and 11% had trouble with absentee or in-person voting.

More than 1 in 3 young people, and 59% of youth who didn't vote, were never contacted about the election by any organization.

Young people of color were almost twice as likely to have trouble with voter registration. And young people without college experience were much more likely than college-educated youth to miss deadlines or run out of time to register. According to CIRCLE, that may point to a lack of voter registration information and activities for young people outside of college campuses.

The includes breakdowns by race/ethnicity, gender, and education.