Day: October 25, 2026

What Is Keeping Most of Gen Z From the Polls?

noirindempsey1

Abstract: The reason many young people don’t vote isn’t that they’re apathetic – it’s that they lack political efficacy and political interest.

Among the many complaints circulating about Gen Z, one that surfaces every election cycle is this: most of Gen Z doesn’t vote.

While there is truth to this statement, it’s not entirely true that youth voter turnout is on the decline.  Data from the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) shows that the percentage of eligible young voters who cast ballots in the past three presidential elections rose from 39% in 2016 to 50% in 2020, and fell only slightly to 47% in 2024.1  However, young Americans are historically notorious for having lower turnout rates compared to older groups of voters.2 According to research conducted by the Pew Research Center, “citizens under age 30 constituted only 15% of all voters in 2024, considerably below their share of the age-eligible population (20%).”3  Additional data from CIRCLE shows that most youth aren’t regular voters – “approximately 53% of eligible voters aged 18-29 did not vote in 2024, and 77% did not vote in 2022.”4  So what accounts for the fact that despite rising turnout in their age group, many young people still are not showing up to the polls?

The reason may be somewhat surprising (spoiler: it’s not voter apathy).  Results from a CIRCLE and When We All Vote youth survey reveal that although “Gen Z is sometimes painted as apathetic and disengaged, only 7% of young people…don’t participate because they just aren’t interested in politics.”5  Youth voter turnout is also not strongly related to structural barriers.  The same survey shows that only 11% of youth “cited a need to ease burdens on the voting process by making registration and voting easier.”6  Instead, the main issue is psychological: young people lack the psychological incentives to vote.

Recent studies show that “among the most reliable predictors of political participation are two psychological attitudes…political efficacy and political interest.”7  Basically, if young people feel disengaged from politics and don’t believe that their vote matters, they are extremely unlikely to vote.  The expectancy-value model of motivation provides a useful framework for this phenomenon: “individuals are motivated to engage in tasks based on (1) expectations of success and (2) valuing those tasks.”8  The same principle can be applied to voting.

Let’s start by breaking down political efficacy–the extent to which voters believe their vote has the power to enact change.  Based on polling by CIRCLE, “While 70% of young people who believe their vote matters are extremely likely to vote, only 31% who disagree that their vote has power say they’ll cast a ballot,” and “Twenty-nine percent of youth said they would participate more if they felt like their vote and voice mattered.”9  Without political efficacy, voters struggle to find the motivation to cast a vote.  

It also doesn’t help that young voters don’t feel accurately represented by those in office, which is also partially a result of low youth voter turnout.10  In fact, 41% of youth say “they would participate more if there were different candidates or parties who better represent their generation or if candidates follow through on their campaign promises.”11  Young people are also dissatisfied with a system in which wealthy corporations hold the power to influence candidates.  Additionally, young voters are discouraged by partisan gridlock that prevents Congress from passing legislation.12  Political alienation from candidates and from the two-party system in general can even lead people to vote for a candidate who is unlikely to win, just to provide “psychological satisfaction that one is able to express their disenchantment with the political world.”13 (Southwell)

Knowing that many young people don’t vote because they doubt the power of their own vote or because they feel “marginalized and disregarded by our political system”14 is key to improving youth voter turnout in the future.  Aside from electing representatives who will hear and support their Gen Z constituents and resist the influence of money in the political system, one way to address the lack of political participation and increase political interest among young voters is through education.  Giving teachers the educational resources they need to help students develop political interest and self-efficacy will “strengthen students’ likelihood of becoming active and involved in democratic processes.”15  In addition, since study results have shown that “adolescents’ political engagement appears to increase as they approach the legal voting age,”16 perhaps our attention should be focused on high school students who are nearing the age of voting with the goal of increasing their overall enthusiasm surrounding civic participation.

Overall, there is hope for Gen Z.  Dedicating our efforts to encouraging political efficacy and political interest among young voters has the potential to make a positive difference in civic participation.  And perhaps doing so will finally dispel the disapproval surrounding Gen Z’s voting record.

  1.  Medina, Alberto, and Katie Hilton. “New Data: Nearly Half of Youth Voted in 2024.” America Is Calling, April 14, 2025. https://americaiscalling.org/new-data-nearly-half-of-youth-voted-in-2024/.
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  2. Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). “Dispelling Myths About Youth Voting.” Understanding Youth Civic Engagement, Tufts University. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://circle.tufts.edu/understanding-youth-civic-engagement/dispelling-myths-about-youth-voting#myth:-youth-voting-has-been-low-for-decades.
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  3. Hartig, Hannah, et al., “1. Voter Turnout, 2020–2024,” in Behind Trump’s 2024 Victory, a More Racially and Ethnically Diverse Voter Coalition, Pew Research Center, June 26, 2025, https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2025/06/26/voter-turnout-2020-2024/.
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  4. Cosme, Danielle, et al., “Motivating and Supporting Youth to Vote Using Theory‐Driven Approaches,” Social and Personality Psychology Compass 19, no. 12 (2025): e70110, https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.70110.
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  5. Booth, Ruby Belle, and Scott Stetkiewicz. “Youth Are Likely to Vote in 2026—But Want to See Big Changes in Democracy.” Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), May 21, 2026. https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/youth-are-likely-vote-2026-want-see-big-changes-democracy.
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  6. Booth, Ruby Belle, and Scott Stetkiewicz. “Youth Are Likely to Vote in 2026—But Want to See Big Changes in Democracy.” Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), May 21, 2026. https://circle.tufts.edu/latest-research/youth-are-likely-vote-2026-want-see-big-changes-democracy.
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  7. Levy, Brett L. M., and Thomas Akiva. “Motivating Political Participation Among Youth: An Analysis of Factors Related to Adolescents’ Political Engagement.” Political Psychology 40, no. 5 (2019): 1039–1055. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12578. ↩︎
  8. Levy, Brett L. M., and Thomas Akiva. “Motivating Political Participation Among Youth: An Analysis of Factors Related to Adolescents’ Political Engagement.” Political Psychology 40, no. 5 (2019): 1039–1055. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12578. ↩︎
  9. Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). “Dispelling Myths About Youth Voting.” Understanding Youth Civic Engagement, Tufts University. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://circle.tufts.edu/understanding-youth-civic-engagement/dispelling-myths-about-youth-voting#myth:-youth-voting-has-been-low-for-decades.
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  10. Cosme, Danielle, et al., “Motivating and Supporting Youth to Vote Using Theory‐Driven Approaches,” Social and Personality Psychology Compass 19, no. 12 (2025): e70110, https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.70110.
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  11. Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). “Dispelling Myths About Youth Voting.” Understanding Youth Civic Engagement, Tufts University. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://circle.tufts.edu/understanding-youth-civic-engagement/dispelling-myths-about-youth-voting#myth:-youth-voting-has-been-low-for-decades.
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  12.  Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). “Dispelling Myths About Youth Voting.” Understanding Youth Civic Engagement, Tufts University. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://circle.tufts.edu/understanding-youth-civic-engagement/dispelling-myths-about-youth-voting#myth:-youth-voting-has-been-low-for-decades.
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  13. Southwell, Priscilla Lewis. “The Politics of Alienation: Nonvoting and Support for Third-Party Candidates Among 18–30-Year-Olds.” The Social Science Journal 40, no. 1 (2003): 99–107. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0362-3319(02)00261-6.
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  14. Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). “Dispelling Myths About Youth Voting.” Understanding Youth Civic Engagement, Tufts University. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://circle.tufts.edu/understanding-youth-civic-engagement/dispelling-myths-about-youth-voting#myth:-youth-voting-has-been-low-for-decades.
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  15.  Levy, Brett L. M., and Thomas Akiva. “Motivating Political Participation Among Youth: An Analysis of Factors Related to Adolescents’ Political Engagement.” Political Psychology 40, no. 5 (2019): 1039–1055. https://doi.org/10.1111/pops.12578. ↩︎
  16. Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE). “Dispelling Myths About Youth Voting.” Understanding Youth Civic Engagement, Tufts University. Accessed October 15, 2026. https://circle.tufts.edu/understanding-youth-civic-engagement/dispelling-myths-about-youth-voting#myth:-youth-voting-has-been-low-for-decades.
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