Election results show that Donald Trump performed better than expected among young voters, who have historically favored Democrats.
Over 40% of voters under the age of 30 voted for Trump this election, compared to a third in 2020, according to the Associated Press VoteCast polling. Exit poll data from CNN also shows that 54% of voters between 18 and 29 voted for Harris, while 43% voted for Trump. In 2020, 60% voted for President Joe Biden and only 36% cast for Trump.
Although most young voters cast their ballots for the Democratic Party, an increasing number of Gen Zers and young millennials voted for Trump. Gen Z voters, who are aged between 18 and 27, were central to both the Trump and Harris campaigns this year. A whopping 41 million Gen Zers were eligible to vote in this election with 8 million of them being first-time voters, according to Newsweek.
The Harris campaign relied on viral memes, a dynamic approach to social media and appearances on podcasts catering to young women to appeal to voters under 30.
“I love Gen Z,” Harris said in a video ahead of election results. “Thank you all for voting. You know your power — your power through your voice, through your vote.”
The Trump campaign targeted this demographic by enlisting the endorsements of popular figures among young men, including Joe Rogan, social media star Bryce Hall and streamer Adin Ross.
CNN exit poll data also shows that 49% of men between 18 and 29 years old voted for Trump, compared to 37% of women in this same demographic.
A May 2024 study conducted by The New York Times and Siena College battleground polls showed that the second predictor of whether someone had defected from Joe Biden was if they had a favorable view of Rogan. Subsequent data showed that Trump led Harris over young men, while Harris was growing in popularity among young women, according to the news outlet.
The data points toward a gender divide among young voters.
View this post on Instagram
Daniel A. Cox, the director of the Survey Center on American Life at the American Enterprise Institute, observed that women are becoming more liberal as a result of the #MeToo movement while young men are increasingly gearing toward conservative views of masculinity.
“Out of a sense of increased insecurity, more young men are adopting a zero-sum view of gender equality—if women gain, men will inevitably lose,” he wrote in a January article for Newsweek. “It’s an outlook that makes them defensive, encourages them to ignore or overlook enduring challenges women face in society, and can even spur misogyny.”
On some college campuses, students have been celebrating Trump’s victory. Videos showing crowds of young people at Auburn University in Alabama and Grand Canyon University in Arizona have been circulating on social media.
Auburn students rolled Toomer’s Corner and sang the national anthem last night in response to Donald Trump’s victory. #alpolitics #WarEagle
Video courtesy of @DakotaCavin pic.twitter.com/6a5fO2woOE
— 1819 News (@1819News) November 6, 2024
Gen Zers who voted for Harris have noted their disappointment, especially regarding their peers who haven’t voted.
“I’m very disappointed in my generation. A lot of them did not go vote because they felt like it didn’t matter,” first-time voter Najea Foster told ABC 7 Chicago.
Over 53% of registered voters aged between 18 and 24 voted, according to the Chicago Board of Elections. It is less than the city’s average overall voter turnout of 58%.
