Youth Turnout | African-American Youth | Latino Youth | Asian-American Youth | Women and Voting | Trust in Government | Resources
Youth Turnout
The following are the percentages of 18-24 year old citizens (not residents) who voted in recent presidential elections:
| White Americans | African Americans | Native Americans | Asian Americans | Latinos | |
| 1992 | 52% | 41% | 37% | 32% | 33% |
| 1996 | 38% | 34% | 25% | 35% | 24% |
| 2000 | 38% | 36% | 30% | 28% | 26% |
| 2004 | 50% | 47% | 37% | 36% | 33% |
| 2008 | 50% | 56% | *** | 39% | 39% |
The following are the percentages of 18-29 year old citizens (not residents) who voted in recent presidential elections:
| White Americans | African Americans | Native Americans | Asian Americans | Latinos | |
| 1992 | 55% | 45% | 36% | 37% | 39% |
| 1996 | 41% | 39% | 28% | 34% | 28% |
| 2000 | 42% | 42% | 30% | 32% | 29% |
| 2004 | 52% | 50% | 35% | 32% | 36% |
| 2008 | 52% | 58% | 29% | 42% | 41% |
African-American youth are the most politically engaged racial/ethnic group. Compared to other groups, African-Americans are the most likely to vote regularly, belong to groups involved with politics, donate money to candidates and parties, display buttons or signs, and contact the media.
Sources: Civic Engagement Among Minority Youth and 2006 Civic and Political Health of the Nation Report
In 2008, much of the surge in youth voting was driven by an increase in voting among African-American youth. Since 2000, the African-American youth turnout rate has increased by sixteen percentage points - the largest increase of any youth minority group since 1972.
Source: The Youth Vote in 2008 & Electoral Engagement Among Minority Youth
Although young Latinos are generally not as civically engaged as other racial/ethnic groups, in 2006 25% said that they had participated in a protest—more than twice the proportion of any other racial/ethnic group. Since 2000, Latino Youth have showed a steady increase in voter turnout; since 2000, latino youths (age 18-to-24) have increased voter turnout by 13 percentage points.
Source: The Youth Vote in 2008 & Civic Engagement Among Minority Youth
Turnout rates vary greatly within Latino communities. Young Latino men who are not enrolled in college are the least likely of young citizens to turn out (only 25% voted in 2000). However, ethnicity plays a role in predicting turnout.
Cuban-Americans between the ages of 18-30 are the most likely among young Latinos to vote (50% vote). However, they are less likely to vote than older Cuban-Americans, 73% of whom vote.
Source: Electoral Engagement Among Latino Youth
Young Latinos are more likely to respond to door-to-door get-out-the-vote canvassers, if the initial canvassers are also Latino.
Source: CIRCLE Working Paper 10: Mobilizing the Latino Youth Vote
Young Latinos are the least likely to volunteer, work with others on community problems, buy or refuse to buy products for political or ethical reasons, sign paper or email petitions, contact officials, and belong to groups involved with politics. Latinos have the highest rate of “disengaged” young people, at 67%. This high level of disengagement may be a function of barriers to engagement, such as acquiring citizenship, that many Latinos face. However, fully one-quarter of young Latinos had protested, more than double the rate for any other racial/ethnic group.
Source: 2006 Civic and Political Health of the Nation Report
Asian-American youth are the most likely racial/ethnic group to report volunteering, both on a regular and episodic basis. In 2006, 54% of young Asian-Americans reported volunteering. The 2008 presidential election marked the highest reported Asian youth (age 18-to-24) voter turnout since 1992, with a rate of 39%. Since the dip in youth voter turnout since 2000, the Asian youth voter turnout has increased 11 percentage points.
About one-third of young Asian-Americans said they had worked “informally with some one or some group to solve a problem in the community” where they live, compared to 20% of young whites, 18% of young African-Africans and 17% of young Latinos.
Source: The Youth Vote in 2008 & Civic Engagement Among Minority Youth
In a recent study of voter mobilization, young Asian-Americans’ preferences for speaking a language other than English ranged from 5% among Indian-Americans to over 60% of Korean-Americans.
Voter outreach among Asian-Americans was most effective in a Chinese-American community that had a strong ethnic identification - including an active Chinese language newspaper and elected Chinese-American officials.
Source: Getting Out the Vote Among Asian-American Young People and Adults in Los Angeles County
The following are the percentages of 18-24 year old citizens (not residents) who voted in recent presidential elections:
| Women | Men | |
| 1992 | 51% | 46% |
| 1996 | 38% | 33% |
| 2000 | 38% | 34% |
| 2004 | 50% | 44% |
| 2008 | 52% | 45% |
The following are the percentages of 18-29 year old citizens (not residents) who voted in recent presidential elections:
| Women | Men | |
| 1992 | 54% | 50% |
| 1996 | 43% | 36% |
| 2000 | 43% | 38% |
| 2004 | 52% | 46% |
| 2008 | 55% | 47% |
Young women voted at higher rates than young men in the 2008 election. 52 percent of 18-24 year old women and 45 percent of young men voted in 2008.
Source: The Youth Vote in 2008
Single young people, particularly women, are more likely to vote than married young people. In 2008, however, single young females and married young females led the way in voter turnout. Young single females had the highest turnout at a rate of 52%, while young married females turned out a very close rate of 51%. Young married males were the least likely to vote at a rate41%.
Source: The Youth Vote 2004
While the majority of young African-Americans between ages 15-25 believe government should do more to solve problems, there has been a nearly 20-point increase since 2002 in the percentage of young African-Americans who say that “government is almost always wasteful and inefficient.”
This shift in attitudes was also found for young people of all racial groups, though not as drastic as among African-Americans.
The number of young African-Americans who think government often does a better job than people give it credit for dropped from
62% to 43%.
Source: Civic Engagement Among Minority Youth
For more information on trends by race, ethnicity, & gender:
Fact sheets:
- Volunteering among Youth of Immigrant Origin
- The Youth Vote in 2008
- Young Voters in the 2008 Presidential Election
- An Assessment of Civic Engagement and Educational Attainment
- Civic Engagement Among Young Men and Women
- Civic Engagement Among Minority Youth
- Electoral Engagement Among Minority Youth
- Electoral Engagement Among Latino Youth
- Voter Turnout Among Young Women and Men
- Attitudes of Young People Toward Diversity
Working Papers:
- Do Race, Ethnicity, Citizenship and Socio-economic Status Determine Civic Engagement?
- Civic Engagement and the Disadvantaged: Challenges, Opportunities and Recommendations
- The Civic Achievement Gap
- African American Inner City Teens and Civic Engagement
- How Organized Group Mentoring and Kinship Communities Encourage Sustained Civic Engagement
- Mobilizing the Latino Youth Vote
- Getting Out the Vote Among Asian American Young People
Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning & Engagement