Research and Resources

Graphs comparing GOP to Dem turnout in the 2008 primaries, as well as the increase in overall turnout between the two cycles.

The results of the 2004 election if only young voters had cast ballots.

Exit polling numbers reveal the relative advantages enjoyed by the Democratic Party among young voters. In the last three election cycles, that advantage has increased dramatically.

This New York Times/PEW graph shows the partisanship of generations throughout the 20th Century. The Millennial Generation is shown to be the most progressive generation.

Turnout numbers for the youth vote at the state level in the 2004 Presidential election.

Turnout numbers and demographic trends for the youth vote in the 2004 Presidential election.

In 2004, much of the surge in youth voting was driven by an increase in voting among African-American youth. African-American turnout fell off in the 1988 election and remained relatively stable until the 2004 election, in which African-Americans experienced a jump in turnout of more than 11 percentage points over 2000—the greatest increase in turnout of any racial or ethnic minority group during the recent election cycle.

Using the Current Population Survey, November (Voting) Supplement, 2006, these fact sheets analyze voter turnout rates by metropolitan area.

Turnout among 18-29 year-olds increased for the second major election in a row–up 3 percentage points in 2006 (25 percent) from 2002 (22 percent). Young adults voted for the Democratic candidate over the Republican candidate in races for the House of Representatives (58 percent vs. 38 percent ), the Senate (60 percent vs. 33 percent ) and governor (55 percent vs. 34 percent ).

In 2008, youth turnout in the primaries and caucuses doubled over comparable levels in 2000 and 2004. This fact sheet by CIRCLE provides a state by state analysis of youth turnout.

African-American youth are the most politically engaged racial/ethnic minority group in the country. In 2004, young African-Americans drove the rise in young voter turnout, a feat they could repeat again in 2008.

Todayʼs 18-29 year olds lean strongly Democratic. Democrats have won the majority of young adultsʼ votes for the past two major elections.

Young Latinos are an increasingly large share of the electorate and a crucial segment of both the youth vote and the Latino vote.

Young Republicans have been voting in record numbers over the course of the last four years. In 2008, young Republican turnout is up in early primary states.

Young adults are voting in growing numbers, and young women are leading the way. Nearly 22 million strong, young women are a substantial voting bloc.

Since 2000, the Institute has been conducting frequent polling of America's college students. The surveys - generally one is published in the fall semester and one in the spring semester - track students' political views and seek to understand what drives these new voters.

Several studies and electoral history show that partisanship develops in early adulthood, the youth vote years. Young adults are more likely than older adults to identify as Independent, a commonsense situation for a group of voters new to politics. Because early adulthood is a time when partisan leanings are forming, young adults are ripe for outreach from political parties and organizations. And a person's party identification, once formed, remains remarkably stable over a lifetime.

Millennials are emerging as an enormous asset for progressives going forward – as enormous as the sheer size of this, the largest American generation ever.

A research-based description of the successful youth organizing efforts of 2004 and their significance for the Democratic Party.

A look at the progressive canvassing industry and what it does to eager young activists.

Drawing on vast new data that reveal Americans' changing behavior, Putnam shows how we have become increasingly disconnected from one another and how social structures — whether they be PTA, church, or political parties — have disintegrated. Until the publication of this groundbreaking work, no one had so deftly diagnosed the harm that these broken bonds have wreaked on our physical and civic health, nor had anyone exalted their fundamental power in creating a society that is happy, healthy, and safe.

A history of the turbulent relationship between the Democratic Party and pop culture.

A history the role of generations and technology in American politics.

A how-to manual for using the social web to engage young voters.

A practical guide for organizing to achieve social and political change.

The first history about how Millennials - today's youngest voters - started remaking progressive youth politics between 2003 and 2007.

Most voter files lack timely and accurate information on young voters, making them all but useless in conducting voter registratoin and GOTV campaigns. For those on college campuses, though, mashing-up your student registry and Facebook network can yield an ad-hoc voter file that tops anything compiled by the local or state party.

Impressed by the reach and unprecedented science of online advertising, the private sector is flocking to online ads. Advertising online should exceed $20 billion this year in the United States. That’s roughly 8% of all U.S. advertising and up more than 25% from ’06. Corporate America is convinced of online’s efficacy: banners perform 40-80% better than TV, magazines, and newspapers in brand recall and in generating interest in a brand. At the average effective cost per thousand impressions of $3.50, banners are 80% cheaper than TV and newspaper. And with search, advertisers can hit specific info-seekers for as little as 10 cents per lead, connecting at exactly the moment when each individual is primed for action.

In 2005 our research showed that the political and advocacy worlds were significantly behind the private sector in adopting this important new tool in an area where most of the money in politics goes – television advertising. Our research showed that the reason why the commercial world had shifted tens of billions of advertising dollars to cable was simple – more people today watch cable than broadcast, and it offers much more precise demographic and geographic targeting than traditional broadcast television. The latter is particularly important for politics, since geographic targets do not fit neatly into the more than 200 media markets across the country.

As we approach the 2008 election it’s important to realize that the netroots, comprised of blogs and social networking websites, are not something to be scared of, to avoid, or demean. Instead, these community websites, and the millions that comprise their audience, can be a powerful asset for progressives working in issue advocacy organizations, labor unions or political campaigns. This memo makes the case that all parts of the progressive family must engage the netroots, through the blogs and social networking websites, both in the long-term by increasingly integrating them into our work, and in the short-term with six recommendations that can be implemented immediately.

Imagine you’re at a rally with thousands of your supporters. You ask them to join your effort by taking out their mobile phones and sending a one-word text message to a 5-digit number. They do so, and they immediately receive a message back thanking them for joining and telling them to expect periodic updates and action items from your team. A few days later, Congress schedules a vote on an issue that’s important to your organization. You send a text message that contains a phone number to your supporters, who then make the call in just a few clicks. They hear your pre-recorded talking points audio message and are then routed immediately to the office of their senator or congressman.

Getting involved in politics is one of the earliest forms of “social networking.” Supporting a candidate or cause is a critical way in which people connect with the world around them and express themselves to others. Technology is just making these connections easier all the time.

Microtargeting is a process that answers the questions that are fundamental to the strategy of any campaign. Which voters support your candidate? Which voters are undecided? Which voters care about a particular issue? Which voters will vote at all? Most important of all, which voters will respond if you reach them?

Web video as a political force began in earnest with the Macaca video in August/September of 2006. In less than a year, it has gone from a curiosity to an essential tool of 21st century politics – thanks to cheap digital video technology and the rise of YouTube.

e.politics: online advocacy tools & tactics Download the New Online Politics 101 June 19th, 2008 Download Online Politics 101 Almost two years in the making, the new version of “Online Politics 101: The Tools and Tactics of Online Advocacy” is now ready for downloading! New chapters cover online political advertising, political databases, choosing the right tools, along with expanded chapters on social networking, fundraising, video, blogs and more. It’s an essential guide to doing politics on the internet, and it’s absolutely free.

Researchers at Yale determined that in 2006, election day parties at the polls improved young voter turnout by a statistically significant margin.

Political parties have recently rediscovered grassroots tactics for voter mobilization. The only solid evidence for the effectiveness of such get out the vote (GOTV) tactics is based upon non-partisan field experiments that may not accurately capture the effectiveness of partisan campaign outreach. In order to address this lacuna, during the 2002 Michigan gubernatorial election, a large field experiment across 14 state house districts evaluated the cost effectiveness of three mobilization technologies utilized by the Michigan Democratic Party’s Youth Coordinated Campaign: door hangers, volunteer phone calls, and face-to-face visits. Contrary to past non-partisan experiments, our results indicate that all three GOTV strategies possess similar cost-effectiveness.

Personally contacting young people on Election Day can significantly increase youth voter turnout, but only if they’ve already expressed interest in voting.

About nine-in-ten local party leaders say youth political engagement is a serious problem. Only 8% of the party chairs identified young people as the most important demographic for the “long-term success of their party,” compared to 21% who named senior citizens.

Political campaigns can effectively bring young voters to the polls by integrating a few simple tactics in their normal campaign activities.

One of the most robust empirical regularities discovered in political science is that past voting behavior is a good predictor of future voting behavior. In both 2004 and 2006 young voter turnout increased compared to past election cycles. In other words, millions more young adults have voted in past elections and have begun to become habitual voters. Looking ahead to 2008, young voters are likely to turn out in increased numbers once again.

A resource for campaigns, organizations, and parties interested in mobilizing young voters. Find out the latest about young adults' political attitudes and how to mobilize them to win campaigns and elections.

Going into the 2006 elections, campaigns and parties knew it would be crucial to turn out every supporter on Election Day – and they put the money and people-power into target races to make it happen. What was a change from recent elections, however, was that an increased number of campaigns and coordinated state efforts targeted young voters in 2006. Overall, 2006 youth outreach efforts proved that if you work the youth vote, it works. Our findings indicate that person-to-person outreach, candidate and experienced staff involvement, strategic use of online social networks, and list-building efforts contributed to increased turnout of young voters and to the success of many 2006 campaigns.

CIRCLE (The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement) promotes research on the civic and political engagement of Americans between the ages of 15 and 25. Although CIRCLE conducts and funds research, not practice, the projects that we support have practical implications for those who work to increase young people's engagement in politics and civic life. CIRCLE is also a clearinghouse for relevant information and scholarship.

A memorial to President Kennedy, The Institute of Politics' mission is to unite and engage students, particularly undergraduates, with academics, politicians, activists, and policymakers on a non-partisan basis and to stimulate and nurture their interest in public service and leadership. The Institute strives to promote greater understanding and cooperation between the academic world and the world of politics and public affairs. Led by a Director, Senior Advisory Board, Student Advisory Committee, and staff, the Institute provides wide-ranging opportunities for both Harvard students and the general public.

The New Politics Institute is a new kind of think tank helping progressives understand today’s transformation of politics due to the tumultuous changes in technology, media and the demographics of the country. NPI uniquely focuses on politics, not policies like other think tanks. NPI helps progressives not only understand the changes, but master the new political strategies needed to succeed in this new environment. In this way, it also acts like a strategy center, helping form practical strategies that people in politics can use to deal with the new realties of politics right now.

The Center is an independent opinion research group that studies attitudes toward the press, politics and public policy issues. We are best known for regular national surveys that measure public attentiveness to major news stories, and for our polling that charts trends in values and fundamental political and social attitudes. Formerly, the Times Mirror Center for the People & the Press (1990-1995), we are now sponsored by The Pew Charitable Trusts and are one of eight projects that make up the Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan "fact tank" that provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.

Rock the Vote’s mission is to engage and build the political power of young people in order to achieve progressive change in our country. In addition to advocating for young voters, Rock the Vote also conducts polling and research on young voters and the best ways to engage them.

In order to know how to motivate political participation and increase levels of voter turnout successfully, it is essential to accurately measure the impact of mobilization and education initiatives on potential voters. Researchers at the Institution for Social and Policy Studies (ISPS) believe that the randomized field experiment is the most powerful method of assessing the impact of voter mobilization and voter education initiatives.